Pretty Lies
by BtchesLoveCannons
Summary: Modern AU. Ciel is spoiled, smart, and none too happy about moving to the United States. This seems like the worst of his problems until he meets Sebastian, the alluring bartender at club Underworld, on his 16th birthday. Not only is Sebastian too old for him and becomes a secret from Ciel's father, but he seems to have some dark secrets of his own.
1. Chapter 1

Ciel stared at the page. He rubbed his eyes and tried again, but all the words were still blurred together. Curse it all. He slammed the textbook and reached for one with larger print. Damn it, this one was worse! He squinted, determined to accomplish something meaningful before he was forced to leave the confines of his room. His own birthday and he was being made to celebrate against his will. All he wanted to do was study. He just wanted a quiet night alone to hate the new house in peace. Sure, he was bored, but he had no desire to explore this dingy city he now had to call home. Biochemistry was more interesting by far.

"Ciel."

"I'm trying to read."

"How's that going for you?"

"Not especially well."

Purple fingernails appeared at the top of the book and pulled it out of his hands. "Maybe that's because you're trying to read it upside down, dumbass."

"I don't want a lecture on intelligence from you, blondie!" Ciel snapped, but flushed when he realized why that book had proved so challenging to read.

Alois stuck his tongue out. His flashy attire was an unpleasant contrast to Ciel's black duvet cover of spun silk. He was an unpleasant contrast to Ciel in general. Where Ciel liked to study, his best friend liked to party, and where Ciel longed for home Alois was loving the over-the-top, tacky nature of the States. If he could go back in time he might have chosen a childhood friend to have more in common with, but time travel wasn't a thing so there was an obnoxious slut on the end of his bed.

"Come on, it's time to get ready," said the slut in question, pulling on Ciel's arm.

"How about you die your hair my color and go celebrate on my behalf?"

Alois began pulling the duvet, sliding Ciel ever closer to the edge of the bed. "It would take days to get a stick far enough up my ass to impersonate you and by then, your birthday would be over."

Ciel slid sideways and dropped his feet onto the floor. He knew when he was fighting a losing battle. Even if he won the argument with Alois (like that would ever happen) he would still have his parents to contend with. He huffed and followed his taller friend into his walk in closet. His clothes weren't unpacked yet but his hopes of using that as an excuse evaporated as soon as a large bag was shoved into his arms by Alois.

"Happy birthday!"

"Er...thanks." There wasn't much someone could buy him that he didn't already have, but he would rather pretend to be grateful than send his bipolar friend into a fit of hysterical tears. He pulled the tissue paper out and found a navy dress shirt atop a pair of black jeans. He unrolled the jeans and grimaced. They were so...Alois. Black skinny jeans with a metallic blue chain on the hip and cargo style pockets on the legs. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to put them on. Two objects of mass could not exist in the same space and they looked like they would have to fuse with his legs to even fit.

"Aren't they great!"

"Splendid."

Resigned to his fate, he started stripping. Alois got a good laugh out of watching him wiggle into his jeans. At least he hoped that's all Alois got out of it. He looked in the threeway full length mirrors in the corner of his closet with dismay. Just when he thought his birthday couldn't get any worse he got dressed up like a flamingly gay Ken doll to go to a bar. He didn't need his advanced knowledge of statistics to see how small of a chance there was of this night ending well.

They walked downstairs to the immediate ridicule of his father. Vincent took one look at him and sighed. "Are you seeing this, Rachel? I'm sending my teenage son and his irresponsible friend to one of the most prestigious clubs in New York for his sweet sixteen and he looks like a pig being sent to slaughter."

"Why are you doing that, by the way? I never thought I'd see the day when my overprotective father sent me to a club, you fret for my safety when I get out of school too late." He sat on the chaise lounge and pulled on his boots.

Rachel looked up from cutting the bubble wrap off some weird, expensive sculpture. "You know why, honey. He owns that place, what do we have to worry about? There's nowhere else that would let you in underage and everyone in there will know who you are so we know you'll be taken good care of."

"Great."

He went over and kissed her on the cheek before following Alois outside. Mr. Tanaka was waiting with the car, standing by the open door. Ciel watched the city go by on their drive into downtown. He didn't understand what Alois thought was special about this place. His largest qualm with New York was that it wasn't London. That was enough for him to make him dislike it, and lack any interest in warming up to it. He was going home as soon as he was eighteen.

"It's huge!" Alois said with an excited clap of his hands.

Ciel stepped out of the car and looked up at Underworld. The sign was unremarkable, white neon letters against a black background, but there was a line down the sidewalk and he could feel the bass as soon as his feet touched the ground. He walked past the long line to the door as he had been instructed by his father, earning no shortage of scandalized looks on the way. A flash of their IDs and they were inside.

The unassuming exterior didn't prepare him for what was inside. A spiral staircase on each side of the room led up to a second story that overlooked the bar and dance floor on the lower level. To the left of the dance floor was a white grand piano on an elevated platform. Alois was snapping pictures on his phone, carrying on about how amazing it was. The architecture was beautiful but Ciel found himself unable to appreciate it for the amount of thrashing bodies in the way. If nothing else he would admit the club seemed tasteful, despite the way it reeked of debauchery. There were no topless women dancing on tables or drugs being snorted.

"Let's get drinks," Alois said.

Ciel followed him over to the bar that spanned most of the back wall. He hopped onto a stool at the far corner and eyed the sparkling bottles of liquor. Did the staff taking good care of him mean letting him drink? He didn't care for the taste but he felt like the numbing effect on his brain might make his birthday more tolerable.

Alois elbowed him, transfixed on the other end of the bar. "Your dad really went all out, they have a flair bartender."

"A what?"

"Just watch, you'll figure it out."

The tall man tossed a bottle of liquor into the air, grabbed a glass as it spun over his head, and rolled the liquor down his arm into his other hand. Everything he did was with this grace and skill. He wore an all black suit obscured by nothing except the white hand towel over his shoulder that he had been shining glasses with, and white gloves. Ciel couldn't help but stare along with his friend, watching beautifully prepared drinks slide down the bar. He had to blink himself back to reality when the bartender approached them.

"You must be our special guest for the evening," the bartender said.

The accented lilt of the man's voice renewed Ciel's homesickness in full. "Unfortunately."

"My, aren't we the ungrateful one."

Ciel bristled. "Mind your tongue unless you want my father to hear of this."

The bartender smiled and tilted his head back, causing his long bangs to fall away from his face. He didn't look concerned by Ciel's threat. What he did look like was a model. His face was pale as the driven snow, his eyes such a warm shade of brown they appeared red. His bone structure looked like it had been sculpted by one of history's great artists.

"Forgive me, sir, I spoke out of turn. What can I get you?"

Alois raised his hand. "A phone number."

"I'm afraid that isn't on the menu," the bartender said with a charming laugh.

"Long island iced tea, extra sweet," Ciel said.

"Double shot of Grey Goose," Alois requested.

The man kicked his foot back and sent the vodka flying into his hand. "Little young to be drinking, are we not? Don't worry, I see it as my personal responsibility for the two of you to enjoy yourselves this evening," he added, seeing Alois' pout.

He sauntered further down the bar to get a shot glass and Ciel huffed. Leave it to his father to entrust his care to a silver tongued devil with a pretty face. He watched the man make his drink, fascinated by his command of gravity and momentum. It didn't look like an easy science to perfect. Ciel accepted his drink with reluctant thanks. It was hard not to appreciate a drink that had taken so much effort to prepare. One sip told him the man wasn't only good at putting on a show. It was as cold and sweet as real tea but he knew from the burning in gut that it was plenty strong enough.

"Ooh I love this song, I'm going to go dance!" Alois said. He downed his shot and got to his feet.

"Poker Face? Really?"

Alois blew him a kiss and disappeared into the crowd of dancers. He wore knee high boots, a purple blouse and black short shorts. He probably wouldn't struggle to find someone to dance with him. Ciel sighed and returned his attention to his drink. The song was horrid but it soon faded to white noise as a warm sensation spread through his body. He glanced up and jumped when he found a pair of garnet colored eyes on him.

"Shouldn't you be tending to the rest of your patrons?"

The bartender gestured to the full drinks all the way down the bar. "I just did."

"What the...whatever, I don't care how you did it. Why are you hanging around over here?" There were very few people at the corner of the bar he occupied, but the man seemed content to linger there.

"I told you I would see to it you had a good time. Your friend abandoned you, I'm not going to leave you here all by yourself."

Ciel gritted his teeth. "I can manage fine on my own."

"Perhaps," the bartender said, and folded his arms on the bar across from Ciel. "But if I couldn't entertain one young man on his sixteenth birthday, what kind of bartender would I be?"

"The normal kind. I thought bartenders just kept drinks full and went about their business."

The taller man tilted his head to the side, causing his bangs to fall back into his eyes in a way that definitely wasn't alluring. "A bartender I am, but normal, I most certainly am not."

Ciel was suddenly aware of how close they were, both leaned forward on the bar. He flushed and took a sip of his drink. It really must have been strong for him to be affected by some smooth talking dandy in a suit. He had been questioning for a long time whether or not he was asexual, seeing as he had yet to meet someone he was attracted to. He had physical urges but never for one person or even gender.

"Another drink," he said. He needed to drink away whatever confusion was clouding his mind.

"Of course."

The bartender was on his way back with Ciel's drink when a tall woman came around the bar and grabbed his sleeve. She wore a short red dress that showed what she didn't have in cleavage she made up for in legs. Her long red hair was twisted into an intricate bun atop her head, but her polished appearance was shattered by the mascara streaked down her face.

She sniffed. "Sebastian, we've got another handsy one."

"Is he alright?"

Ciel's mouth fell open. He was close enough to overhear them but he still hoped he had heard wrong. Had this asshole, Sebastian, just asked about some pervert's well being over the woman's?

"I don't know," she answered, accepting the napkin he offered her to clean her face with. "He hasn't woken back up since I knocked his head into the table."

"Oh, dear. Give me a moment. Your drink, sir."

Ciel accepted his drink and watched, amused, as Sebastian followed the redhead to the upper level of the club. He couldn't see anything once they were upstairs so he went back to watching the star shaped ice cubs spin around as he shook the glass. The smallest things were interesting when you were buzzed enough. Half his iced tea had disappeared when the bartender returned, who was rolling his sleeves down as if he had just gone to take out the trash.

In a series of movements so fast they were nearly a blur, everyone had artfully done fresh drinks. Ciel raised an eyebrow as Sebastian came back over and leaned on his elbows again. Without realizing it he mimicked the bartender's pose and found very little space between them again.

"She doesn't seem like your average damsel in distress. Sorry, I might have eavesdropped."

Sebastian laughed, a sound that was rapidly growing on him. "Grelle isn't your average anything."

"No one here is, apparently."

"Shall I take that as a compliment?"

"You're merely doing your job, don't flatter yourself." Ciel was mortified to hear a playful tone creeping into his voice. He finished his drink with high hopes that it would drown out the fluttering in his stomach. Two alcoholic beverages too late, he realized they were making it worse. He took only a small sip of the refilled glass Sebastian placed before him. Drinking usually wasn't his thing, he had done it with Alois a couple times but he didn't see what was so great about it.

Sebastian began polishing a wine glass. "Tell me about yourself."

"Why?"

"Because I'm interested."

Ciel blamed his buzz for the flip flop his stomach did at those words. He reminded himself their meaning was innocent and not to read too much into them. "There isn't much to know. I'm Vincent Phantomhive's son."

"You must get tired of that."

"Huh?"

Sebastian replaced the glass on the rack and tucked the towel into his back pocket. "Does anyone know you as your own person, or are you just Vincent's son?"

"I guess I've never thought of it that way. Being his son isn't a bad thing."

"Of course not, he's a wonderful man. I go back quite a ways with him. However, I already know you're his son. Tell me something else."

Ciel raised his eyebrows. "Demanding."

"I'll try again. Tell me something else...please?"

With each word he had leaned closer and Ciel almost fell off his barstool trying to put space back between them. He righted himself, wondering if there were enough shades of red on the color spectrum to illustrate how deeply he flushed with embarrassment. "I just moved here last week from London. Father moved us here for work. As you surely know, he owns the Funtom company but he's always expanding."

"There you go about your father again," Sebastian said. The flashing lights turned his face purple, blue, yellow, and pink in time with the bass pounding out from the speakers.

Ciel was becoming increasingly self conscious of how boring he was. He had nothing interesting to say about himself, which had never been a problem because no one cared about anything except that he was a Phantomhive. Until this weirdo. "I was a prefect at Weston College."

"Really, what house? I graduated from Weston."

Ciel perked up. Academics were one of the few things he could hold a conversation about. "Blue house, I was a sapphire owl."

"I was in purple, myself, but I had many friends in blue house much to my own house's disapproval."

"Damn, I would have put money on you being a scarlet fox."

Sebastian chuckled. "Oh, no. Red house wouldn't have me."

Ciel debated asking why, but he knew red house was considered the elite group of Weston and only took the most distinguished students from refined families, so he held his tongue at the risk of striking a nerve. "Nothing wrong with that. My best friend was a violet wolf."

He noticed how many glasses Sebastian had been cleaning and looked around. The crowd had dwindled almost to nothing and there was no longer anyone else at the bar. The music was softer than it was when he first got there, leaving the remaining dancers to sway rather than jump and grind. Alois was swinging his hips, holding his cocktail in the air. Just looking at how drunk he was made Ciel feel sober.

"What time is it?" he asked, panicking at the thought of his parents sending Tanaka into the building like a one man SWAT team.

Sebastian pulled a watch out of his pocket, the chain rattling as he flipped the face open. "Well, it's no longer your birthday."

Ciel studied the watch. There were spots of tarnish on the silver, but not enough to obscure the intricate pattern of cherry blossoms on the back. It didn't match the rest of Sebastian's polished appearance, nor did it seem to be of very high quality. He couldn't imagine carrying around such a cheap old relic.

"I should be going."

"We'll be closing up soon, you might as well stay a bit longer."

With a pleasant buzz warming his body, he was easily convinced. "I suppose a few more minutes couldn't hurt."

When he looked around again, he saw the DJ packing up his equipment and the last of the guests filing out. He was alone at the bar with Sebastian. He found himself staring at the fluid movements of the bartender's body as he finished his work for the evening. The speed with which he cleaned and polished his work space suggested he had been working there for quite awhile, and going off how easily he moved around the cases of liquor under the bar, he wasn't novice to a hard day's work.

"It's your turn," Ciel said, curiosity winning out.

Sebastian paused his dusting with a raised eyebrow. "For what?"

"Tell me about yourself. I don't think you were just spawned into existence to tend my father's bar."

The tall man chuckled. "Feels that way sometimes."

"Alois dated a fortune teller for a couple weeks, he taught me to read palms. If you don't want to tell me I bet I can tell you something about yourself."

He reached across and took Sebastian's hand, an action that surprised both of them. He pulled it across the bar and turned it over. It was much larger than his own and the glove looked to tailored to its every curve. Ciel knew if he was sober he wouldn't have asked about Sebastian let alone touched him of his own accord but his inhibitions were on vacation at Long Island.

"These gloves are impeccably made, you don't want for money," he remarked.

Sebastian curled his finger's against Ciel's wrist, sending shivers down the teen's spine. The observation wasn't a difficult one to make but judging from the way his dark eyes danced, he was humoring the birthday boy. "Alright, Holmes. Tell me more." The innocent words were somehow seductive.

"I said I read palms, not gloves." Ciel made to peel one of them off only to have the hand pulled out of his grasp.

"Another time, perhaps. I must be finishing up."

Ciel stared at Sebastian's back as he carried on with his cleaning. He had touched the smallest amount of bare skin, which he had expected to be smooth. On the contrary, he top was soft while his palms were quite rough. They didn't fit the rest of Sebastian at all. He looked no different than Ciel, a silver spoon practically visible in his mouth. He didn't seem to mind working hard but Ciel had thought that came from his job here at the club. Ciel nibbled on his bottom lip, becoming intrigued against his will. He loved a good mystery.

The bar did nothing short of sparkle when Sebastian returned to him. His hair was mussed from all the moving around but the rigid set of his shoulders had gone down some. Ciel's lip quirked; what a strange man, to be relaxed by cleaning. He'd never had to clean anything, he couldn't imagine doing it by choice.

"I hope I wasn't rude, but I couldn't neglect my duties," Sebastian said.

Ciel looked up to find the bartender next to him, half reclined against the next bar stool. His body seemed to go on for miles. Ciel realized he was staring and tore his eyes away, muttering, "That's fine." Get it together, you hit puberty years ago, he thought to himself. He also made a mental note to rule out drinking since it made him such a slut.

"You should come back and visit sometime."

"I'm not really into clubbing. I didn't come here by choice."

Sebastian shifted and he was close enough for Ciel to have to tilt his head back to look at him. The slightest movement and they would be touching. "Perhaps I could convince you."

He felt he was being offered far more than Sebastian was saying aloud. In the back of his mind, he wondered how Vincent would feel if he knew the likes of the man he had entrusted with his precious son's care. Ciel thought of his father's reaction to the dancing red eyes staring at him, what those eyes seemed to be suggesting. Best case Sebastian no longer had a job, worst case he no longer had legs. The image that made up his mind was the one of his father staring at him in disapproval for letting himself be drawn in by a working class commoner. He slammed the Sebastian book closed and stamped it firmly with Bad Idea.

"I should get home," he said, breathing in the scent of expensive cologne.

If his not responding to Sebastian's offer affected him in some way, he didn't show it. "Indeed."

As if summoned by his decision to leave, Ciel's phone pinged with a message from Tanaka letting him know he was waiting outside. He had sobered slightly and felt awkward as he looked at Sebastian. "Thanks, I guess. Tonight wasn't awful."

"I suppose that's the closest you'll come to saying you had a nice time?"

"Pretty much."

Sebastian smiled and Ciel could no longer blame the liquor for his stomach doing somersaults. "Goodnight then, Mr. Phantomhive. It was lovely to meet you."

"Yeah...you, too."

He retrieved Alois from his half conscious state on the piano bench and made his way to the door. He didn't look back but he felt eyes on him the whole time. Grelle waved goodbye when she let them out, a few inches shorter without the pumps that she now held over her shoulder. Getting in the car, Ciel decided there was no need to dwell on the antics he had indulged himself in for his birthday. This had been a one time thing. He doubted he would ever see Sebastian again.


	2. Chapter 2

Ciel loosened his tie as he headed for the car. His first day at a new school had been a long one. There were no houses, everybody wore the same color, and most of the American accents hurt his ears. If this was the most prestigious private school in the city he could only imagine what horrors a public school would hold. He could have crumpled in relief when he saw Tanaka standing by their silver Audi. It was the family car and while Ciel longed to feel the wind whistling past his ears with the windows down in his father's Maserati, he had never been happier to climb into the Audi's soft, heated interior.

"Wait for me!" cried a high pitched voice.

Ciel raised a hand to stop Tanaka from closing the door behind him. "Alois, who said you were coming home with me?"

"Where else am I supposed to go?" Alois crossed his arms, bending down to peer into the car at his friend.

"Nobody told you to stow away when I moved."

"But nobody else likes me! Well, neither do you, but you put up with me! I would have been all alone in London."

"Get in the bloody car." Ciel slid over and rolled his eyes as Alois clapped his hands together in victory. It had been two weeks since his birthday and Alois had been staying with them since they arrived in the States, but he had thought his friend would find other living arrangements by the time school started. God knows he had the money. He had just decided to take up residence with them rather than be lonely.

"How were your nerd classes?"

"My honors classes were acceptable, I suppose. Father promised these are the best teachers money can buy."

"All the things you could want your father to buy you, and you choose education."

Ciel looked over at Alois as Tanaka pulled away from the sidewalk, wondering not for the first time how he tolerated him. "Unlike you, I believe there's more to life than sex and partying."

"Don't sound so judgmental, seventeen is the age of consent here."

"Wonderful. One more year and I can start legally behaving like you."

Alois stuck his tongue out and turned to stare out the window. He would likely pout the rest of the way home, or until the next time he got bored and wanted someone to talk to, whichever came first. Ciel took advantage of his silence and took a book out of his messenger bag. He was already familiar with the book he had been assigned for his honors English class so he was taking a crack at _War and Peace_. He was surprised there wasn't an indention where his nose had been in it for the past week.

A few miles later he felt the car glide to a stop and tucked his book away. He strode in to the house, shrugging out of his navy blazer with silver piping. At least the school uniforms were faintly reminiscent of the ones at Weston. He found his father in his study, pouring over paperwork. Vincent looked up and pointed to the chair across from his desk.

"Tell me how your first day was."

Ciel settled into the ebony wood chair that matched the rest of the furniture in the room, drawing some comfort from being a study so similar to the one in London. It was a bit smaller but other than that he could almost pretend he was back home. "It wasn't as boring as I expected."

"I should think not, you placed a year ahead."

Ciel waved his hand, embarrassed by the way his father practically glowed with pride. "How has work been?"

"Steady, just the way I like it."

"Sir."

Ciel had been growing steadily more convinced over the years that uttering the word "work" summoned his father's accountant from wherever he may have been before he popped into existence at the sound of Vincent's call. True to form, William stood in the doorway, holding his briefcase. He was the picture of a workaholic. The only time he seemed pleased was when he was crunching numbers for the company, and Ciel couldn't remember ever seeing him in a different suit.

"Father, I'll leave you two to your work. I'd hate to see Mr. Spears start having withdraw symptoms." He smirked at the twitch of the accountant's eyebrow as he passed him; there was no love lost between them.

"Oh, Ciel?"

He turned around in the doorway. "Yes?"

"Dress for dinner tonight, we'll have company."

"Okay."

Ciel took the stairs to his room two at a time. He wanted to get another chapter in before he had to get ready for guests. There had been an assortment of high ranking business men and women in and out of the house since they moved in. He knew how long it would take him to get ready down to the minute, he had been getting prettied up for guests since he was a small child. He folded himself up on the bed and flipped to his marker in _War and Peace._ The book was a monster, it was no wonder his shoulder hurt from carrying it around in his bag.

He had barely opened it when he heard the front door downstairs and voices that he could not discern. He rushed into the closet and began changing in case the guests were early. It wasn't his problem if they were, but he wouldn't be the one who made a poor impression. He fastened his slate gray slacks and buttoned up a blue shirt. He paused halfway up, recognizing it as the one from his birthday. That night taunted him every time he thought about it. He had tried to forget the bass vibrating under his feet, the people grinding lewdly on each other, and most of all the bartender. No one had ever seemed interested him in the way Sebastian had. _That's his job,_ he reminded himself. He pushed those thoughts from his mind and ran a hand through his hair before he went downstairs.

"Are you sure you won't allow me to help? I do love to cook."

Ciel froze on the bottom step. No way. He heard the maid stutter her way through an answer. "Y-yes sir I'm sure, I am!"

He rounded the corner into the main room where Mey-Rin was giving a hasty goodbye and retreating into the kitchen. In her wake, in all black, was Sebastian. He stood talking to Tanaka, who said, "Please take a seat and I will bring you some refreshments. Mr. Phantomhive is in an important meeting, but he will be with you as soon as he can."

"Please, don't go to any trouble on my account. I did not mean to inconvenience you by arriving early, I only meant to offer my assistance in preparing dinner."

"You're our guest and we will give you nothing short of Phantomhive hospitality."

Tanaka's voice had an air of finality that discouraged Sebastian from arguing. He did not sit, instead choosing to examine the trinkets and photos in the living room. Ciel made his way back up to his room in as much silence as he could manage. It wasn't like him to be shy, but seeing Sebastian had thrown him for a loop. He didn't think their paths would cross again. He didn't think he had wanted them to, yet his heart had skipped a beat when he saw him. Sebastian's voice twisted his insides into a pretzel and the way that outfit clung to his body wasn't helping. It was just snug enough to make Ciel wonder what was underneath.

He heard the sound of squealing brakes in his mind as he closed his bedroom door and brought that train of thought to a halt. Everything about it was wrong. Sebastian had to be in his twenties not to mention he worked for Ciel's father. Also, Ciel had never had a relationship, he had no chance of someone with as much experience as Sebastian surely had. He didn't want to think of how many places that silver tongue had been.

His door came open and he staggered forward, almost falling over. He straightened up with a glare. "Don't you believe in knocking?"

"Not when it's your room. Did you see who's downstairs?" Alois asked.

"Yes, so what?"

Alois looked like he had given up on Ciel entirely. "He's fucking gorgeous. I want one."

"He's off limits! If you're going to be under this roof, you are not to flirt with anyone associated with my father."

"Fine you killjoy. You better come downstairs though, I think it's almost time for dinner."

Ciel sighed and followed his friend. He hadn't realized how long he had been leaning against the door fighting with himself. It was sad, really. He was better than that. He pulled his shoulders straight, called on years of experience with charming his father's guests, and walked into the dining room. He was relieved when Tanaka pulled out the chair across from Sebastian rather than next to him. Reddish brown eyes burned into him as he sat down. He folded his hands in his lap and met Sebastian's stare.

"I hope you've been making yourself comfortable," he said.

Sebastian raised his glass of dark wine. "You have a splendid home, Mr. Phantomhive."

"That's what everyone calls my father, just call me Ciel. Less confusing," he added, not wanting to seem like he wanted to be on a first name basis for any other reason.

"Gladly, Ciel."

Ciel's hands clenched in his lap. If he had thought Sebastian's voice was something before, it was nothing compared to how it sounded saying his name. It rolled off his tongue and on to Ciel like a caress. This was no accident if his heated gaze was any indication. Ciel was torn between nervousness and disbelief. He had some nerve, coming in to the home of his employer and looking at his son like a piece of prime meat. It had been one thing when Ciel could assume he was just in his element at a nightclub, but this was on purpose. He had never been looked at in such a way and it angered him to no end. At least, he hoped anger was what he was feeling.

He was saved from the tense conversation by his father coming to the head of the table and tapping the side of his glass. "To new adventures, and old friends," Vincent said.

Everyone raised their glasses and took a drink. Ciel and Alois had each been given enough champagne for the toast. He sat his glass down as the bubbles tickled his throat. Sebastian had said he knew Vincent, maybe it shouldn't have been such a surprise for him to show up. He just didn't think they were close enough to have him over for dinner.

Ciel contributed little to the conversation until he heard his name. "Hm?"

"Do you think you would be up for it?" his father asked.

Damn. He had spaced out and missed the question, and he didn't want to ask his father to repeat it. "Of course, whatever you need."

"Why thank you," Sebastian said.

What had he just agreed to? "So what are the details, then?"

"The gala starts at six Saturday evening, could you be there at four, perhaps?"

"That would be fine."

Rachel beamed. "He's got his father's work ethic."

Ciel spent the rest of dinner dreading whatever he had just committed to that involved Sebastian and a gala. After the meal he dismissed himself as soon as it was polite. He went outside and sat on the stairs, listening to the city. Seeing the skyline silhouetted against the orange horizon, he could understand why it was famous. As much as he disliked New York he had to admit it was a beautiful sight. He folded his legs against his chest and propped his chin on his knee. The door opened and closed behind him.

"Never a moment's peace," he muttered, assuming it was Alois.

"Excuse me, I didn't mean to bother you," Sebastian said.

Ciel looked over his shoulder. "Sorry, I thought you were someone else."

"You wouldn't mind if I joined you, then?"

"If you'd like." He would rather Sebastian didn't and would have told him as much if he was anyone else, but his father liked him so he had to play nice.

Sebastian's sleeve brushed his own as the bartender sat next to him. For some time, he watched the sunset. When he next spoke only a few pink streaks remained in the sky. "I know you weren't listening in there." At Ciel's guilty silence, he said, "Underworld can also be reserved for the right amount of money. There is a charity gala being held this Saturday and your father wanted to enlist an extra set of hands."

"Ah."

"Since I saved you the embarrassment of calling you out in there, may I ask a question?"

Ciel glanced over at him. "Am I supposed to be indebted to you because you weren't rude to me in my own home?"

"Your response only drives me further to ask, why do you dislike me?"

It wasn't the question he was expecting. He didn't know what he thought Sebastian would ask, but it wasn't that. He stared at the strange man through his gunmetal colored bangs. "It's nothing personal, I'm just not what you would call a social butterfly."

"I would come closer to calling you a jeweled wasp, lovely to look at but not something to play with."

Ciel snickered. "I'm not deadly unless I hit you with my bag for school. But thanks, I think."

Sebastian stood up and held out his hand. "You're welcome."

He took Sebastian's hand and let himself be pulled to his feet. Instead of the ones he wore at work, his gloves were black. Ciel couldn't help but wonder why he always wore them. There was a chill in the air but nothing to get bundled up over. A tingle went down his spine as Sebastian let go. He was almost desperate to return to his book, to something familiar and easy to understand, the complete opposite of the way Sebastian made him feel.

"Thank you for having me this evening."

"It was our pleasure."

Sebastian smiled and walked down the stairs. At the bottom he stopped and looked over his shoulder, the slight breeze blowing his hair out of his eyes. "You shouldn't underestimate how dangerous you are. It's in your blood, after all."

He mulled those words over long after Sebastian was gone, and even as he lay in bed that night. They never started making sense. Nor did the trickle of anticipation that slowly filled him the closer it got to Saturday. He fell asleep trying to figure out Sebastian. He looked and talked like someone straight out of one of Ciel's books set in the Victorian era. His eyes were indecent, but his words were proper. He seemed too refined to be working class. Ciel wondered if things would be different if they had been born into the same sort of life. Even if he succumbed to his curiosities about the new things he was feeling, Sebastian would still be a sheep in a world where the Phantomhives were wolves.


	3. Chapter 3

Saturday morning found Ciel walking into one of the rattiest stores he'd ever seen. He had been walking the city with Alois and his friend dragged him inside. The lower level of the building was boarded up but a spiral staircase led to the store above. He reluctantly followed the blond chatterbox into the shop identified only as "Zira's" according to the hand painted sign above the door. Anything old and dirty looking seemed to catch Alois' eye.

"Hello!" squeaked a voice behind the counter.

"Hi!" Alois chirped back, reminding Ciel of birds communicating across the trees from each other.

Then he laid eyes on his surroundings and had a change of heart. There were books from wall to wall. Above each bookcase was a painted sign with a genre. There looked to be many old ones but even they were in pristine condition, their spines smooth and uncreased. Ciel was agape when a tiny blond girl stood up from behind the counter with dust on her nose and arms laden with books. She made a sound of terror when Alois reached out to help her, clutching the books tighter.

"Dad would kill me if I let anyone touch these, they're first editions. I only took them out to clean the display case."

Alois hooked a thumb over his shoulder. "Your dad sounds worse than this nerd back here. So he owns the place?"

"I do."

A platinum haired man emerged from the back room who couldn't have denied his daughter if he died trying. They had the same large blue eyes and fair hair, even sharing a faint splash of freckles across their noses. His slender body was swallowed by a long cardigan. Ciel ran his fingers down the spine of a leather bound edition of _A Study In Scarlet._ "This is quite a place you have here."

The man smiled. "Thank you. Feel free to take a look around, you may touch the books if you're gentle."

Ciel stayed put in the mystery section. The books could have been brand new, but there was thin layer of dust on the floor and a spiderweb in the corner of the room. It was sad, seeing such valuable things in a place like this. The floorboards creaked when he walked. His father probably wouldn't have let him walk in the door when he saw the state of it. He crouched in front of the glass display case where the girl was putting the first editions back on stands. Alois joined him and whistled.

"I bet there's some money in here," Alois said.

"If there's so much money in here I don't understand why they wouldn't fix the place up."

The back of the display case slammed shut. Zira looked up fussing with his sweater, probably panicked at the thought of harm coming to his precious books. His daughter glared at Ciel and Alois with tears threatening to spill over her long, doll like eyelashes. "Get out," she said through gritted teeth.

Ciel stood up. She clearly had no idea his father could buy this building and send them on their way. "Do you know who I am?"

"You're a stuck up asshole. This shop has been my father's pride and joy for as long as I can remember, and you would come in here and insult it? Get out!"

Ciel seethed, ready for a fight, but Alois took his arm and pulled him toward the door. "Come on."

He ranted during most of the walk home. They obviously needed every dime they could get and had the nerve to throw out a potential customer. Their lack of business savvy was abhorrent. He said as much to Alois, who was nodding and making a noise of agreement every so often. Ciel doubted he was listening. When he started raving his friend knew he wouldn't be able to get a word in and would just pretend to listen to be nice. Ciel took a deep breath as he walked into the house. He didn't feel like recounting the whole ordeal to his parents who he knew would ask questions if they noticed his mood.

"Don't you have to go soon?" Alois asked.

Ciel tapped his phone and looked at the time. "I didn't realize how late it was, I better change."

He made quick work of changing out of his sweater into a long sleeved tee shirt that would be easier to move around in. Not five minutes later he was on his way back out the door. Tanaka was waiting for him, and as soon as Ciel was in the car, they were off. He felt his frustration about the shopkeepers ebbing at the thought of the day ahead. Going to the club didn't put him a good mood, exactly, but a different one at least. He wasn't sure how he felt about it.

"Call me whenever you're ready to leave, sir," Tanaka said.

Ciel waved and went up to the door of Underworld. He knocked, aware that it didn't open for several hours, and was blinded by red as it swung open. Grelle stepped back to let him in. Her hair was in a loose ponytail, long legs encased in black jeans, and a red lacy tank top hung from her shoulders. She was the most flat chested woman Ciel had ever seen. He thanked her and looked around. The club was barely recognizable, save for the bar and the piano. The tables had been replaced with long dining tables upstairs and the main room was one big dance floor. The platform where the DJ usually worked looked ready to house a full orchestra.

He stepped on to the lower of the two platforms where Sebastian was wiping the piano down with something that made it shine. "You could have left me something to help with."

"I did, don't worry." Sebastian stood up and shook his hair out of his eyes. Like Grelle, he was dressed down in jeans and he wore a long sleeved black shirt with a V-neck. It was a good look for him. His lip curled up and Ciel knew he had been caught staring. "Did I miss a spot on the piano?"

Ciel ignored him. "Where can I start?"

"If you look, there are cones hanging about the room. The arrangements for them are behind the bar if you would put them out."

There was indeed a large box of carefully arranged fresh flowers, tied together with ribbon. He started working downstairs since Grelle seemed to be undertaking the same task on the upper level. He observed her as she moved around. There was something not right about her, too, and it was irking him. The employees of this club plagued his weakness for mysteries to no end. With such a small amount of makeup, the structure of her face was...harder, perhaps was the right word. Maybe she was older than he first thought. He debated this until the box was empty and the club was full of lilies and hyacinth.

He opened the door that divided the two shelves of liquor and made his way to the back. There was a room for dishwashing, a smaller room that appeared to be an office, and a store room. He walked through the maze of crates. The store room was almost as large as the club itself, he couldn't fathom why they would need this much extra product. Surely alcohol would still be available to purchase in five years. He came to the back wall and went to open the door he found there.

Except he couldn't. There was the outline of a door but no knob or handle. He pushed, but it didn't move. His brows knitted together as he felt along the edge. There was no slot for a keycard, how the hell did it open? He was trying to feel along the top of the door when a hand covered his and held it still.

"Did you need something?"

He turned, hand still trapped, and found himself almost pressed against Sebastian. With his not-quite-red eyes, the bartender could have been a demon in the poorly lit room. His arm stretched above Ciel's head to hold his hand in place and his face turned down to speak to him, he was close enough for Ciel to feel his every exhalation. His breath smelt deliciously of black cherry. Ciel hoped Sebastian couldn't hear his heart pounding in his chest. If he did, hopefully he would chalk it up to Ciel being nervous he had done something wrong.

"I was trying to find the back door." He raised the cardboard box in explanation.

"You can leave it, I'll take care of it."

"Thanks."

Sebastian released his hand, but kept his own braced on the wall behind him. Maybe the lighting was playing tricks on him but Ciel thought he saw a hunger in those eyes. Sebastian's tongue slid out to lick his lips, and Ciel was helpless to watch, listening to his blood pound in his ears. The way Sebastian looked at him was making him excited and afraid at the same time. He was alone, too far into the club for anyone to hear him if he called out, not that he could see Grelle rushing to his aid. He didn't think Sebastian was that kind of person but he didn't know him well enough to rule it out.

He flinched when he saw Sebastian's other hand move toward him. It came to rest on his neck and he went rigid. In his mind he saw it close around his throat, cutting off the supply of air to his brain. He was starting to panic when Sebastian asked, "What's wrong?"

"I'd like for you to let me go."

Sebastian's hand slid up his neck to cup his jaw. "Is that all you would like?"

Ciel sucked in a deep breath. Sebastian was stroking his cheekbone with his thumb and it was very distracting. He leaned up until their lips nearly touched. He saw the slight widening of Sebastian's eyes and smirked as the bartender leaned in. "Yes, that's all," he said as he ducked out from under Sebastian's arm.

He made his way out of the store room on wobbly knees. He heard Sebastian's voice before it was lost in the maze of boxes and crates. "You are going to be a treat."

It was almost time to open the doors when he walked out into the club. Grelle had changed into low pumps and a one shoulder evening gown in deep crimson. She was finishing her French braid in her reflection in a wine glass. Ciel looked around, trying to see if there was anything left to do. He hadn't done much but he didn't feel bad about that, as he would have been more productive if not for Sebastian. The thought of their encounter made him shiver and flush at the same time. He could no longer deny his suspicions that his father's employee had taken a liking to him.

"Let's open it up!" Sebastian said, coming out in his usual black ensemble with the addition of a tailcoat.

Ciel stood against the wall out of the way. Once everyone made their entrances he would slip out, but he wasn't going to fight his way out the door with all the guests coming in. He looked around as Grelle propped open the doors, amazed that this was the same club he came to for his birthday. It was hard to believe it had ever been anything except a ballroom. He could hardly take any credit since all he'd done was hang some flowers but Grelle and Sebastian had outdone themselves.

He recognized some of the people who walked in as major business players. A couple came to say hello before joining in the festivities. He waited until the torrent of people stopped pouring through the door to take his leave, but the next man through the door froze him in his tracks. Sebastian asked why he looked like a deer caught in the headlights but he just stared dumbly at the blond man and his daughter. He was dressed in a full suit now, and his daughter wore a periwinkle cocktail dress. Both their outfits were of the finest design and craftsmanship.

"I didn't think they were anyone important," he groaned. The teenage girl's head turned and he scrambled backward. "No, don't look over here!"

Sebastian caught his shoulders. "Are you quite alright?"

"Hide me, now."

The taller man looked confused but he bowed his head slightly. "As you wish."

Piano music filled the room. Grelle sat on the bench, hands moving across the keys in a way that could have only resulted from years of practice. She disappeared from Ciel's view when he was pulled into the crowd of dancers. He cringed as Sebastian pulled him into form for a waltz. Dancing had never been his strongest talent, and was always treacherous for his partner's toes. He didn't know if it would be worse to be seen by the bookstore owner or to be seen dancing. He tried to move his feet in time with Sebastian's but much to his dismay, his partner was a fantastic dancer. His closeness to Sebastian wasn't making it any easier to concentrate.

"Dancing is all about falling into rhythm with your partner," Sebastian said, noticing his distress.

"I don't know how to do that."

The hand on his lower back pulled him closer. Sebastian began to move slowly. "Let yourself feel the movements of my body, and yours will follow if you allow it to."

Focusing on the way Sebastian's body moved wasn't helping at all. Or at least he thought it wasn't. It was taking his attention from his footwork, as his eyes followed every languid movement, and soon his own body began to follow it as well. He was no professional by far but he was managing. He laughed as Sebastian twirled him and pulled him back in. Sebastian smiled, leading them into a natural turn.

"The Fords are upstairs, if you need to escape."

Ciel let himself be danced to the edge of the floor. "Thank you."

"See, I'm not so bad." Sebastian winked and gave him a gentle push off the dance floor.

Ciel failed to repress a smile as he looked back. He sent a message to Tanaka on his way outside. As the fresh air hit him, he discovered just how tense he had been in there. He leaned against the wall and watched the traffic crawling by. It would be awhile before he saw Tanaka, as congested as the roads were in the early evening. He wondered what it would be like, to live like Sebastian or even Grelle. To have to work for your livelihood but to not be bound by the opinions of other, to not be suffocated by the politics of business. He'd always known his future was decided for him. He had been learning about his family's company and how to run it since he could do basic math. The freedom the working class had would be overwhelming, to choose your own path of the countless options in the world. He almost envied them that.

The door next to him opened and closed. He looked over at Sebastian. "Quit following me."

"I just work here." Sebastian reached into his pocket. "I hoped you would still be around when I got the chance to slip away. Here."

Ciel took the folded piece of stationary and raised an eyebrow. "I'm not giving you mine."

"I'm not asking for yours. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, Ciel. Thank you for your company today," Sebastian said, and was gone as swiftly as he came.

Ciel watched the door swing shut, sliding the paper back and forth between his fingers. If not for the stationary he could have believed Sebastian had never been there, as brief as their encounter had been. He looked at the ten numbers scrawled in elegant handwriting.

By all means he should have left it right there on the sidewalk and not thought anything else of it. He definitely shouldn't have put it in the pocket of his jeans. He could have thrown it away when he got home, but he didn't do that either.

"How was it?" Rachel asked when he came in.

"It was alright, we got it done." She looked like she wanted every detail of her son's first day of hard work, but he made a run for the stairs. "I'm going to get ahead on schoolwork."

He closed his door, pulled the crumpled paper out of his back pocket, and threw it on the bed. It became his bookmark while he studied. He had the naive hope the ink would fade and take his conflicted feelings with it, but it was as clear as the print in his textbook. He closed his calculus book on the taunting phone number and opened his laptop. A couple of clicks later and his half finished English essay filled the screen. He situated himself against the headboard, eager for his favorite subject to clear his mind. The cursor on the document blinked at him expectantly.

One forced paragraph later he accepted defeat. He closed his laptop and rubbed his eyes. When he opened them, he stared at his calculus book. He finally snatched his phone off the charger, opened the book, and replaced the stationary with a Post-It flag. He looked between the phone number and his lock screen. A swipe of his thumb, a tap to his home screen, and he was staring at a blank message. He entered the number and touched the empty body of the text. It was just a text, he wasn't committing to anything, he told himself. His fingers were trembling with nerves when he pressed send.

 **Can you keep a secret?**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I can't thank everyone enough for the support they have given to the story so far! This will have a plot, it isn't completely (*cough*mostly*cough*) smut and romance, so I hope you aren't too bored (:**

* * *

On Monday morning, Ciel skipped school for the first time in his life. He waited for Tanaka to drive away before he began walking in the opposite direction. He opened his phone and looked at the conversation. It looked like even worse of an idea now that he was going through with it. They hadn't talked since the night he texted Sebastian, leaving him to assume the bartender would be waiting for him as promised. He stopped at a crosswalk. Reading their messages, he couldn't believe this had been his idea.

He double checked the message. Two blocks south of the school, at the coffee shop on the corner. He found his destination and lingered outside, looking around in paranoia that a member of his family would appear any moment. None of the cars parked on the street looked like they could belong to a working man. If they weren't sports cars, they were luxury. He looked up at the sign for the coffee shop, almost expecting there to be a notation that they only served the upper class. There was no such additive.

His phone vibrated and he jumped. Muttering curses, he took it out of his pocket. The screen told him he had an incoming call from "S." He slid the green icon and put it to his ear. "Yes?"

"In times of old, people greeted you with 'Hello.'"

"I don't think you called to criticize my etiquette."

Sebastian's noise of agreement sounded more like a purr, making Ciel fidget. "I just called to see if you were going to stand in front of that coffee shop all day, or if you're going to get in the car."

Ciel looked around. No one had pulled up since the first time he checked. The tinted window of a car rolled down, and Sebastian leaned over from the driver's side to look out at him, phone still to his ear. "Well?"

Ciel almost dropped his phone. He ended the call and went over to the car, agape. "This can't be yours."

"Yet I am driving it."

"I'm not going anywhere in a stolen car."

Sebastian leaned back into his own seat and gave him an offended look. "It's mine."

Ciel watched the doors slide over and up. He sat down in the car, running his hands over the gray carbon fiber interior. Sebastian pulled away from the curb but it didn't even feel like they were moving. He was dressed down for his day off, in the same outfit as Saturday and black gloves. The way he upshifted as their speed increased was practiced and effortless.

"How does a bartender afford a McLaren?"

"I do some odd jobs on the side."

Ciel swallowed. What had he gotten himself into? As if Sebastian wasn't surrounded by enough mystery, he showed up in a black McLaren P1. He rode in awkward silence until he decided what to say. There was clearly more to Sebastian than met the eye, with some of it maybe being dangerous, but Ciel's reason for texting him had not changed. He took a deep breath and asked, "Where are we going?"

"You said your family couldn't know of this, so we're leaving the city for the day." Sebastian looked sideways at him. "You look like you just got kidnapped."

"I've never kept secrets before."

"I'm flattered to be your first. Now stop looking at me like I'm going to take you to a dark cave and sacrifice you to Satan. You told me you were bored, we're just going somewhere to have some fun."

Ciel's mind raced with the possibilities of what fun with Sebastian could entail. His inner Alois helpfully presented full color visuals of dimly lit hotel rooms, moonlit beaches, and a dungeon full of obscure sexual torture devices. He reminded himself that was not why he was here at all. He didn't want to explore his physical attraction to Sebastian, he just wanted a break from his monotonous day to day life. Sebastian seemed like the perfect person to give that to him. He was sure there were other things Sebastian wanted to give him, but that was neither here nor there.

"How long have you lived here?" he asked, trying to diffuse some of the tension.

"I moved when I was eighteen."

"Any family?"

Sebastian glided on to the freeway. "My father passed away but my mother still lives in Europe and, unfortunately, my twin lives here in New York."

"There's two of you?" Ciel blurted out.

"Oh my, are you excited?"

Ciel prayed for the road to open up and swallow him. "Just curious," he mumbled.

"Don't get too worked up, he is my paternal twin. I would ask about your family but I probably know more about it than you do."

Ciel lapsed back into silence before he could embarrass himself any further. He couldn't have said how many miles went by before they got off the interstate, only that the drive seemed to last forever. He was in a car that could do over two hundred miles per hour with an older man who his father would never allow him to befriend (let alone anything else) who seemed to be into shady supplemental income. He was beginning to question if boredom was preferable to the shredded state of his nerves.

One hand clasped both of his and he was pretty sure he jumped all the way out of his skin. Sebastian did not look over at him as he drove, but his fingers curled around Ciel's hands. "Relax, you've been twisting your hands together for thirty minutes."

"Sorry."

"If I make you uncomfortable, why are you here?"

Ciel cringed. He could hear the slight offense Sebastian had taken to his behavior and he couldn't really blame him. He was the one who asked Sebastian to keep their involvement, whatever it became, a secret. "I know I've been kind of a brat to you. To be honest, I barely know anything about you, I don't even know your last name. I certainly don't know why you gave me your phone number after the way I've acted."

"Michaelis. My last name is Michaelis," he clarified to Ciel's look of confusion.

He smiled and Ciel found himself smiling back. "Thanks for meeting me today. I've been homesick from the minute I stepped off the plane."

"You wanted a distraction." Sebastian gave him a look that could have melted him into the floorboard. "Lucky for you, I can be very distracting."

Ciel didn't say anything, as he didn't know what would have came out of his mouth if he opened it. He watched the horizon fly past the window in a blur. Sebastian's hand was warm on top of his, and he found their silence to be a far more comfortable one for the rest of the drive. There was a palpable tension between them but he didn't think it had anything to do with anger. He almost would have preferred that; at least he was used to making people mad. Whatever connection had formed between Sebastian and him was all new territory.

"Er, are we lost?" he asked. They had been off the freeway for miles and seemed to be driving straight into a dead end.

"We're nearly there, actually."

His confusion did not abate as they stopped in front of a set of barricades. They were connected by a chain that held a sign reading 'Bridge Closed.' Sebastian turned the car off and got out. Ciel watched him, sure that he was just checking a map or something, but the bartender bent down and stuck his head back inside to ask, "Are you coming?"

Ciel unhooked his seat belt and climbed out. On neither side did he see how this was their destination. To his left was the dead end road from which they had come, and to his right was the barricaded bridge. Sebastian had stopped to wait for him, so he followed against his better judgment. He walked around the yellow barricades in full awareness he was now doing something illegal. It was terrifying and a little exciting. Sebastian ran his hand along the contorted metal railing as he walked, making Ciel wonder what had happened to close the bridge down.

Sebastian stepped over the railing onto the grassy incline that ran the length of the bridge. His long legs cleared it with ease, and he laughed when he saw Ciel trying to do the same. He extended his hands across the railing. "Come on, then."

Ciel took his hands for balance, climbed onto the railing, and hopped off the other side. He went to let go of Sebastian only to be pulled down. "Hey!"

"You might as well get comfortable," Sebastian said, sitting against one of the supports for the bridge.

Ciel sat cross-legged next to him. "Why, what are we even-"

"Look."

Sebastian put a hand on the back of his head and moved it so that Ciel had to look straight ahead. His breath caught in his throat. They were miles above the city. From the bridge, he could see New York City stretched out before him. He blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't imagining it. The cars were multicolored dots on the distant streets. "Sebastian," he breathed.

"Your new home doesn't seem so bad from up here, does it?"

He looked over at the taller man. Sebastian was looking at him, too, and Ciel fought the instinct to turn away again when he found Sebastian's face enveloping his sight. He closed his eyes as the hand on the back of his head moved to rest on his neck. Sebastian's thumb rested on his pulse point and his eyes darkened as he inevitably felt it pounding. Ciel swallowed around a dry mouth. "You didn't have to go to the trouble of bringing me all the way here."

"You asked if I could keep a secret, don't you think I'm going to give you a secret worth keeping?"

Ciel felt himself scrambling against a downward spiral. He was unable to speak when Sebastian leaned closer, cloaking him like a shadow. Sebastian brought his lips to Ciel's ear. "If I didn't know any better I would think you were testing me, coming here dolled up in that little school uniform."

"T-Tanaka had to think I was going to be in school," Ciel said, stammering as the finger on his pulse moved to hook into the knot of his tie.

Sebastian tugged on the knot. "Now would be an advisable time to start drawing lines, Ciel."

The heat of Sebastian's mouth on the shell of his ear was rendering him unable to do anything except nod. He didn't know what that nod would be taken as, but he felt his tie loosen. Sebastian's hair tickled his neck as he ducked his head to Ciel's collar and took his tie between his teeth. He pulled slowly until it lay open over the top of Ciel's blazer. His fingers moved to the top button on Ciel's shirt, questioning, and Ciel let his head fall back against the pillar of cement behind him. He sucked in a sharp breath as two buttons popped open.

"You're so sensitive," Sebastian murmured. As if to punctuate this, he ran the tip of his tongue along the exposed part of Ciel's collarbone, causing the teen to gasp and clench his hands in his lap. "Has anyone ever done this to you?"

"No."

Sebastian began kissing his way up Ciel's neck. "What about this?"

Ciel shook his head, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood. There were crescent shaped indents in his hands where the nails of one hand dug into the other. He knew this was the part where he drew the lines Sebastian mentioned but it felt good. He didn't think he could imagine asking Sebastian to stop, until a hand went to his belt and he froze. Part of his brain was offline, the other part was waving a red flag and yelling at him that this wasn't okay. He caught Sebastian's hand and felt the other man pull away from his neck.

It was like a cold gust of wind blowing across his body as every part of Sebastian that was touching him moved away. He took a minute to catch his breath before he looked up at Sebastian. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize, it was I who got carried away. Forgive me. I brought you here without any expectations, and I wouldn't want you to think otherwise."

Ciel was envious of how fast Sebastian had composed himself while he was still trying to calm his racing heart. "It's fine, I'm sure when I sent you that message you thought I wanted..." Before he could pick up the end of his sentence, Sebastian pressed a finger to his mouth.

"I don't assume things. When we met I was intrigued by you and highly attracted to you. Make no mistake, if you gave me the chance I would claim that pretty virgin body faster than the fires of Hell. However, I will never lay a finger on you that you don't wish to be there." He removed his finger and used it to tilt Ciel's chin up. "I can't promise you affection or companionship as long as I'm your dirty little secret, but there are things I am willing to promise.

"I will never lie to you, I will never force myself upon you, and so long as you're mine I will never allow harm to come to you."

Ciel found his eyes flicking between Sebastian's eyes and his mouth, his mouth uttering sweet, dangerous things. "When did I say I was yours?"

"You haven't said that you aren't," Sebastian pointed out as he leaned his forehead against Ciel's.

"I belong to no one." He tilted his head slightly, so that his nose was next to Sebastian's and their lips touched when he spoke. "I'm not going to be yours, but...I guess I can agree not to be anyone else's, either."

Sebastian laughed. "I can accept that."

Knowing Sebastian would not close the distance without an incentive, Ciel pressed their lips together. He'd never thought much about what his first kiss would be like but if he had, his imagination wouldn't have done Sebastian justice. His lips were hungry but gentle as they moved against Ciel's. His tongue, though it ran along Ciel's lower lip for a taste, stayed in his mouth. Sebastian's arms went around him and he threaded his own around Sebastian's neck. He couldn't resist running his fingers through Sebastian's hair to see if it was as silky as it looked. It was.

He was breathless when he pulled away, starving for more but knowing he wasn't ready for it. There was a click beside him and he looked over to see Sebastian checking his pocketwatch. Sebastian sighed. "I must get you back to school."

Sebastian helped him back over the railing and he turned back for a last look at the view. He wished he had spent more time appreciating it, but Sebastian hadn't been lying when he said he was good at being a distraction. Ciel tore his eyes from the city. The view wouldn't be much of a consolation if his father found out he was absent from school. Up here, away from the rest of the world, it was easy to forget just how severe the repercussions would be if they were discovered. Judging by the car he drove it wouldn't hurt Sebastian all that badly if he was fired, but Ciel still didn't want that to happen. He also didn't think he could bear the looks of anger and disappointment he would get from his parents for skipping school to spend time with an employee of his father's, who happened to be too old for him. He shuddered at the thought as they pulled away from the bridge.

They were almost back to the coffee shop when Sebastian's phone went off. He tapped the screen and put it to his ear. "Hello?"

Ciel heard a shrill voice on the other end. "Don't 'hello' me, where the hell are you?"

"Late?" For the first time, he saw fear in Sebastian's eyes and heard a placating tone in his voice.

He couldn't make out what else was said, but Sebastian was cringing as his ear was yelled into. "I know, love, I'm sorry." Ciel's eyebrows shot up. The pet name seemed to soothe the caller, who quit shouting as far as he could tell. Sebastian sighed as he put the car in park. "I'll see you soon."

As soon as he hung up Ciel had to ask, "Who was that?"

"Grelle."

"Is she your girlfriend?"

Sebastian smirked. "You sound jealous."

"No, I am merely asking so we can rework our agreement if she is, because I will not be exclusive to you if you have a significant other. I won't be fraternizing with you at all. I'm not a homewrecker, I do have class you know."

"Are you done?"

Ciel deflated. "Yes."

"Grelle is my roommate, and yes, I love her but not in the way you seem to think I do. She's just angry because we were supposed to have an early dinner."

Ciel wasn't angry, per say, but he was confused. He tried to imagine two people who were that attractive living together and nothing happening between them. He knew he couldn't ask as many questions as he wanted to because he had to get back to school, but he swallowed his pride long enough to ask, "How do you love her, then?"

"She's been my best friend since she transferred into Weston. I moved her here with me when I left London."

"I know all about that. I'm the same way with...oh, God."

Sebastian looked over after he hit the button to open the doors. "What?"

"Alois! He's into so much trouble I kind of assumed he wouldn't say anything if I skipped school, but I forgot to tell him I was going to. The paranoid bastard might have put out a missing person's report by now." Ciel yanked his messenger bag onto his shoulder and almost lost his footing trying to get out of the car.

Sebastian chuckled. "I'm sure you'll be fine. I suppose I will hear from you next time you get bored."

He caught Ciel's wrist and pulled him back into the car for a final kiss. Ciel let himself enjoy it for as long as he could before he got out onto the sidewalk. His lips tingled long after the McLaren pulled away, and he was wrought with both excitement and panic on the walk back to school. He was almost running by the time he was within a block of the building. The last bell hadn't rung yet, but he doubted Alois was inside. He began to check the usual hideouts while he still had time.

Right before the bell rang he saw a wisp of smoke rise from behind the school greenhouse. He ran over, panting from his efforts, and stopped in front of Alois. "Hey."

Alois lowered his cigarette and blew out another cloud of smoke. "Hey?"

Ugh. This must have been how Sebastian felt when Grelle called. "Look, I know I have some explaining to do."

"For being a selfish tart?"

"Yeah, that. I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was skipping-"

"I would have gone with you!"

"You couldn't have."

Alois took the last drag of his cigarette and forgot his anger long enough to look Ciel up and down. His smirk grew bigger the longer he looked. "Might want to fix your shirt before old man Tanaka gets here."

Ciel hastily buttoned and fixed his tie. "Come on, I'll explain on the way to the car."

"I'm still mad at you."

"You took off on my birthday to go dance with a bunch of strange men, I'd say we're even now."

Alois raised his hands in surrender as they crossed the grounds. Ciel was grateful for the identically dressed students around him as he made his way to the curb, as he needed to avoid questions from his teachers. He already had to hope they wouldn't call his parents to ask why he wasn't in school. Maybe since he was such a good student, they would leave it alone. He kept his fingers crossed for that as he relayed his situation to Alois in the briefest, least embarrassing way possible. He expected Alois to demand all the perverted details but he was surprised to find a look of humorless concern on his friend's face.

Before they reached the car, Alois asked, "I know this sounds crazy coming from me, but this sounds like trouble."

Ciel kept his voice low as they came within earshot of Tanaka. "It probably is."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Warnings for sexual content, and non-explicit referenced abuse.**

* * *

Ciel's fear of being discovered was assuaged over the next several days. His father seemed to be in his own world. He spent even more time in his office than usual, and Ciel had found him asleep on his desk more than once. He worried about his father but he couldn't help but be grateful for his preoccupation. It made it easier to hide his own wandering thoughts, which circled around school and how soon was too soon to call Sebastian. He propped his elbows on his desk with a sigh. Listen to him, sounding like a lovesick little girl pining after her boyfriend. He printed his finished essay and tried to focus on proof reading.

He deemed it acceptable and dropped it on his other completed assignment. All that remained was a set of math problems which he could finish in less than thirty minutes. He spun in his leather office chair, shuffling his phone in his hands. It was past midnight. He ought to have finished his homework and gone to bed, but he couldn't dispel the urge that had been nagging him all week. After he was dizzy from spinning he got up and went downstairs. Everyone else seemed to be asleep, and it wasn't that long of a walk. He pulled a warmer jacket on in place of his uniform blazer and slipped out the front door. His stomach had started flip-flopping as soon as he made the decision to leave.

The distance seemed to increase the closer he got, but at last the white neon letters came into view. The man at the door of Underworld let him in without question. He crossed his arms as he made his way through the crowd. It was Friday night, almost a week since he'd seen Sebastian, and the club was packed to the walls. He reached the bar but there was a stranger tending it. He looked around, not that he could see further than a row of people in front of him. He checked the piano to see if he was with Grelle, but neither of them were there. Was it Sebastian's night off?

A headache took hold as he ascended the stairs to the upper level. Every pulse of the bass felt like someone hitting him in the back of the head with a blunt object, but he tried to deal with it until he determined whether or not Sebastian was there. He had no luck until he saw a door in the far corner marked for Staff Only. He looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to him and tried the handle. It turned, allowing him to open the door a crack and peer inside.

He could see a sliver of Grelle in black trousers and a draped red blouse, standing with her hand on her hip. She was saying something quietly but her words had a harsh edge. Ciel couldn't see who she was talking to, only her and a black case on the table in front of her. He knew he shouldn't be eavesdropping but he just wanted to know if Sebastian was in there. The man who responded to Grelle spoke in even more of a hushed tone than her, making it impossible for Ciel to identify the voice. He saw a hand start to open the case and Grelle's manicured one slam it closed again. The sound sent a splitting pain down the back of his head.

He turned away from the door, clutching his head. Even the back of his eyelids seemed to change colors along with the strobe lights when he closed his eyes. He rubbed his temples with his thumbs, cursing his migraines for everything they were worth. Another hand settled atop his own and his eyes flew open.

"Hello there," Sebastian said.

Ciel tried to compose himself but the lights were making him grimace with pain. "Hey."

"What's wrong?" Sebastian asked, petting Ciel's head like he was a cat.

"Headache."

"You had a headache so you thought the next viable solution was to come to a nightclub?"

Ciel felt the tips of his ears burning. "I was up late studying, I felt one coming on when I left but I didn't think it would get this bad."

"Come."

Instead of allowing him to follow, Sebastian scooped Ciel up and carried him back downstairs. Ciel didn't care for being toted around like a child in public but he was also grateful. With his face turned into Sebastian's chest the flashing lights no longer hurt him. When they came to a stop, they were in the office he had seen the previous weekend. Sebastian sat him on the desk and began rifling through one of the drawers. In here Ciel could hear the music but it was distant and much gentler on his head.

Ciel crossed his legs and leaned back on his hands, trying to get comfortable. "Sorry about this. I didn't come here for you to take care of me, I was just coming to visit."

"You apologize too much," Sebastian said, unearthing a white bottle from the drawer.

"I was merely being courteous."

Sebastian straightened up and started to say something, but closed his mouth as he observed Ciel. He stared at the ceiling like it would offer him some sort of guidance. When he approached Ciel with two white tablets in his hand, he said, "If you remain stretched across that desk like a feast, you're going to leave here with more than your head aching."

The words did not register with Ciel until he had the pills in his mouth and Sebastian had gone to the adjacent bathroom to get him a cup of water. He was choked by the time Sebastian came back and downed the water in one shot. When he could breathe again, Sebastian's eyes seemed to hold both desire and amusement. He thought of Sebastian's warning and stood up from the desk.

"Thank you," he said.

"Let's go somewhere more quiet."

"That sounds wonderful."

He followed Sebastian into the store room where he'd found the strange door. In the dimly lit room he had to strain to hear the music. His headache persisted, but at least there was nothing in here to make it worse. He thought of how loud the main sound system was and realized how thick the walls must be for him to barely hear it. It was odd, just how quiet it was back here.

"Did something in particular bring you here tonight?" Sebastian asked, standing in front of him.

"I didn't text because I figured you would be working, so I just came in person."

Sebastian slid his finger into Ciel's belt loop and pulled the smaller boy against him. "You could always tell me the truth without sugarcoating it."

Ciel had to tilt his head back to look at Sebastian. "And what truth would that be?"

"You missed me."

Before he could respond, Sebastian's lips claimed his. He opened his mouth in surrender and felt a euphoria spreading through him that might have been the pain medication kicking in, or a result of the way Sebastian's hands sliding across his back. Sebastian kissed him like he was the first drop of rain after a drought. He found himself returning the kiss with equal fervor, clutching Sebastian's jacket to pull him closer. If Sebastian had asked at that moment he wouldn't have stood a chance of denying how much he had missed him.

Strong hands went under his thighs and lifted him up. He kissed Sebastian's neck as he was spun and sat on a stack of crates. Their faces were on the same level now, giving him an up close view of Sebastian's eyes closing and his lips parting as Ciel dusted his neck with kisses. The sight sent all the blood in Ciel's body rushing south. He slid his hands under Sebastian's shirt to explore the body that had piqued his curiosity from the night they met. He was not disappointed. Smooth but hard muscles bunched and coiled as Sebastian tensed. Ciel could feel the cut lines of his abdomen, the tickle of hair leading down from his navel. He had to resist following that trail further down.

Sebastian gave his lip a gentle bite before delving inside with his tongue. He tangled it with Ciel's and curled it against the roof of his mouth, wracking the teen with a shiver. Something cold rubbed against the underside of his tongue and he moaned against Sebastian's lips. He moved his hands to Sebastian's back where he felt along the long, lean contours he discovered there. The cold object dragged across the ridges at the top of his mouth and he didn't realize he had dug his nails into Sebastian's back until his chest vibrated against Ciel's with a deep groan.

Ciel broke the kiss to gasp, "You have your bloody tongue pierced."

Sebastian licked his lips, showing off a flash of silver. "I lost a bet with my brother. I do hope it didn't cause you any discomfort."

"It's fine, it didn't discomfort me, exactly."

"Oh?" Sebastian picked up on his meaning in an instant and ran the back of his hand over the seam of Ciel's trousers, just enough to tease the arousal stirring beneath the thin barrier. "You seem to be feeling better."

Ciel barely kept himself from pushing forward into Sebastian's hand. "Whatever you gave me helped."

"Maybe I should give you something else."

He started with the top button of Ciel's shirt, giving him plenty of time to stop him before he made it to the bottom. Cool air hit Ciel's chest followed immediately by a warm mouth. Sebastian flicked his tongue across his nipple, the ball of his tongue ring catching on it as he did. He did the same thing to the other one and brought Ciel to an aching hardness. Ciel didn't have the faintest thought of protesting when his belt was undone.

Sebastian knelt and ran his hands down Ciel's thighs. "Are you sure?"

"You can stop acting like you care, I know you want this."

"Perhaps, but one taste I cannot stomach is the taste of regret," Sebastian said, eyes narrowed.

Ciel leaned back against the wall for his trousers to be unfastened. He watched Sebastian open them and pull the waistband of his underwear down. With the most intimate part of his body exposed, he was more self conscious than he expected. He fidgeted nervously as Sebastian freed his arousal. Then there was a gloved hand on his bare flesh and he couldn't think for the heat of the friction. Sebastian eased him in with slow, measured strokes. He was just coherent enough to be surprised by the care Sebastian was taking with him. The way he talked, he had expected Sebastian to ravage him the moment he had the chance.

Sebastian's lips closed around the head of his cock and moved down inch by agonizing inch. He worked his way back up just as slow, and only when he reached the top did he add his tongue to his ministrations. Ciel cried Sebastian's name as that cold little ball rubbed his slit, sliding across the precome that leaked out generously. He writhed atop the crates, desperate for relief from the feeling of his body being on fire. It was like nothing he had ever experienced. He understood how orgasms worked, but he'd never known an ecstasy such as this existed.

"Don't stop," he pleaded, holding on to Sebastian's hair.

"Bassy!"

A hand flew up to cover his mouth as Grelle's voice rang out from the hallway. As the sound of clicking heels drew closer, Sebastian continued working on him without change. He gasped into Sebastian's glove as he felt the bar tender's mouth close around the base of his cock. He heard the store room door open. Sebastian hand tightened over his mouth as Ciel watched his head move up and down, rapidly unraveling at the sight Sebastian's lips wrapped around him.

Grelle's shadow danced over them as she walked past them to the next row of shelves. Through the gaps in boxes and loose supplies, he could see her walking just a few feet away. His whole body shook and it was everything he could do not to make a sound. Sebastian sucked harder with his piercing right under the head of his cock, curling Ciel's toes inside his dress shoes. He had to bite down on Sebastian's hand to keep silent when every one of his nerve endings lit up and his fire was put out with wave after wave of indescribable pleasure. He thought his climax would never end as Sebastian sucked him right through it.

Sebastian tucked him back into his pants and closed them before standing up and kissing his forehead. He met Grelle as she turned the corner. Even at a distance, Ciel could see the suspicious look on her face.

"Where were you? I told you I don't like dealing with him."

"Claude has the mentality of a child, he only pulls your pigtails because he likes you."

Grelle poked him in the chest. "I can't make you tell me what's going on with you, but don't let it interfere with business. Especially not where your creepy brother is concerned."

Sebastian put his hands on her shoulders. "I promise I'll be here tomorrow for the shipment."

"You better be."

She looked around and Ciel could have sworn she looked right at him, but she turned on her heel and left the way she came. Only when the store room door closed did Sebastian return. Ciel wanted to ask what was so important about being there for a shipment (not that he understood how they could possibly need any more liquor) but he knew he was already pushing his luck having stayed this long. He stood up and buttoned his shirt. Sebastian fussed with his collar until it was perfectly straight again.

"You go ahead, I need to check some inventory before tomorrow morning," Sebastian said.

"Sure. Goodnight."

Ciel rose to his tiptoes expectantly and Sebastian obliged him with a kiss. "Get home safely, little Phantomhive."

He was several blocks away from Underworld when he realized there was still a stupid smile on his face. Every time he left Sebastian, he had more questions than before, but he also left with a feeling of completion. He guessed endorphins were responsible for the latter. The thought of what Sebastian had done to him made him feel excited, aroused, and guilty all at the same time but he couldn't say he would do anything different if he had the choice. Sebastian seemed to be a man of many secrets but for some reason Ciel felt safe with him.

There were still no lights on when he got home. He crept upstairs slipped into his room, shoes in his hand where he'd taken them off at the door. His room was pitch black but he didn't have much furniture so he felt his way over to the bed with ease. He left his shoes at the end, stripped down to his boxer briefs, and slid under his blanket. When he reached for a pillow he found hair instead. He cracked an eye open and squinted, just barely able to make out the pale hair in the dark room.

"Bad dream," Alois mumbled when he felt Ciel get in bed.

"Yeah, fine, just don't hog the blankets."

When Ciel had turned his back to him, Alois asked, "Were you with Sebastian?"

"What of it?"

"He's bad for you, Ciel, I can feel it."

"You're just shaken from your nightmare. Get some sleep." He brushed off the warning, but those words rang in his head long after Alois had fallen asleep. Ciel would never admit it aloud but he knew, on some level, that Alois was right.

* * *

He was finishing breakfast when he realized he hadn't seen Vincent all morning. He stood up and took his plate into the kitchen, but his father wasn't in there fixing a cup of coffee like he usually would be that time of morning. It was normal for his father not to surface from his office for several hours but his office was empty when Ciel woke up. As he raked the remnants of his breakfast into the trash, he wondered where Vincent would have gone off to on a Saturday.

Rachel came up beside him and took the plate out of his hands. "What are you doing? We have servants for that."

"Right...of course." When he looked down he was as surprised as she was that he had lifted a finger of his own volition. "Where's father?"

"He left right before you got up, he has to go inspect a shipment."

Ciel's gaze when out of focus as he watched Mey-Rin collect the dishes. Rather than seeing the maid, he saw Sebastian talking to Grelle. A shipment...it could be coincidence but he didn't believe it was. There was no way a few cases of Grey Goose warranted his father going out on the weekend to make sure everything was in order. Ciel muttered something about going shopping and left the kitchen.

"Do you want me to wake Tanaka to drive you?" Rachel called after him.

"No, let the old man get his rest."

He passed Alois on the way upstairs to his room. By the time he opened his bedroom door, his best friend was hot on his heels. He tried to ignore him as he went through his closet looking for something warm and comfortable. Alois made such a thing impossible. He was twittering away as Ciel got dressed, asking where he was going, asking why he was ignoring him, asking him if he was listening...Jesus, where was his friend's mute button? Ciel spun on his heel to answer, only to find Alois stripping.

"What are you doing?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"Oh, now you wanna talk to me," Alois said, throwing his shirt on the floor.

He turned away to pull one of Ciel's shirts off the hanger and Ciel's bitter words died in his mouth, as they always did when he was faced with Alois' bare skin. He just couldn't snap when he had to stare at the long, white scars crisscrossed on Alois' back. They had known each other for over a year before Alois would change in front of him. He was a vain creature and he hated that there was a part of himself that wasn't perfect.

"I'm going to see what father is doing."

Alois bounced on his heels. "Ooh are we going to go be all Nancy Drew and shit?"

"We?"

The smile vanished from Alois' face faster than it had arrived, replaced by thinly pressed lips and a menacing glare. "I'm going with you."

Ciel didn't bother arguing. If he refused, Alois would just follow him and probably get hm busted in the process. He hastily made his way out to the streets he had walked just hours earlier. Whatever was going on at Underworld, it would likely be over soon if it wasn't already. He wasn't in shape to run but he made it most of the way there at a light jog.

When they reached the corner, he put his arm out to stop Alois from going any further. He heard an engine idling on the other side of the wall. Inch by inch he leaned his head around until the front of Underworld came into view. A white van marked with a brand of alcohol sat empty, along with his father's Maserati. Behind these two vehicles was a black motorcycle being dismounted by a man he initially thought was Sebastian. He was the same height with similar hair, worn a bit shorter, but he had broader shoulders and wore dark jeans with a leather jacket. Ciel waited until his back was turned to creep around the corner.

"That must be Sebastian's brother," he whispered to Alois.

"He must be, with an ass like that."

Ciel didn't move again until the man rounded the corner of the building and only then did he run across the street, go to the corner where Sebastian's twin vanished, and watch him walk down the alley behind Underworld. He turned to unlock a door and Ciel saw a pair of black glasses perched on his nose. They might have been paternal but the resemblance was unmistakable. If he hadn't spent an unhealthy amount of time staring at Sebastian he probably could have confused the two of them at a distance.

Alois ran to the door as soon as the man was inside before Ciel could stop him. He cursed when he found the door locked.

"What did you expect?"

Alois examined the lock. "There is definitely something besides parties going on here."

"Well yes, that's why we're here, I'm worried father is involved in something unsavory."

He cringed when Alois rapped lightly on the door, ear pressed to the wood, but no one came to investigate. Alois whistled. "The lock is reinforced steel, no one is picking it or breaking this door down."

"Sometimes I forget just how shady you are."

Alois giggled and continued his examination. Until Ciel got him on the straight and narrow, he got by with cons and thievery. For his age he was scarily good at it. He was as intelligent as a pile of bricks, but put those bricks in a safe and he was a genius. Ciel had never been in a situation to appreciate it and had hoped he never would be. This place was seeming more ominous by the minute, and even his logical mind was fumbling for a simple explanation.

"There's a high crime rate here, I'm sure plenty of people in the area would love a few free cases of liquor," he pointed out.

"Maybe," Alois said, but Ciel could tell he wasn't convinced.

Voices carried from inside and Ciel snatched his friend by the arm. "Let's go."

No sooner than they had pressed their backs to the wall around the corner did the door open. Ciel tensed at the sound of Sebastian's voice. He couldn't hear much, but it didn't sound like anyone had heard them outside the door. There were angry mutterings that seemed to belong to a man, if not a rather effeminate one, but Ciel couldn't make them out. He dared to look back into the alleyway they had just escaped from.

He wished he hadn't looked. Sebastian had both arms around Grelle, his sleeves hidden by her curtain of flame red hair. Her red dress was form fitting and stopped a couple inches above her knees, revealing long legs that ended in heeled ankle boots. She was saying something into Sebastian's chest in a deeper voice than Ciel had ever heard her use. He felt sick to his stomach, watching them. They were beautiful together.

"You didn't have to follow me out here," Grelle said.

"I know it upset you that Will didn't recognize you like this. He obviously found you attractive, though," Sebastian said.

"Yes, he finds me attractive now. Narrow minded bastard."

Sebastian looked at a loss for how to comfort her, so he just held her until she stepped away and rubbed her eyes. Her fingers came back smudged with mascara. She went back inside but Sebastian seemed to be headed their way. Ciel shoved Alois and they made a run for it, making him thankful for the first time that they lived in such a loud city, as it covered the sound of their boots smacking the pavement. He didn't speak on the way home. Alois had seen the same thing he did but for once had the grace not to say "I told you so."

Nothing he had seen or heard made sense. He hadn't seen anything conspire between Sebastian and Grelle that irrefutably said they were more than friends but that wasn't even his largest concern. Why was a shipment to a club so important to his father, whose many companies received shipments every day that he didn't care about overseeing? How did Grelle know his father's accountant, if that was in fact the Will they were talking about? Ciel felt an intense pain building in the back of his head. He didn't know what he had gotten himself into, but until he discovered how his family was involved, he knew there was no getting back out.


	6. Chapter 6

When class was dismissed, Ciel packed his books and joined the line of students making their way out of the room. He was proud of himself. Not only had he aced his assignments for the week and refrained from badgering his father about what he did on the weekends, but he had refrained from talking to Sebastian for over a week now. Thinking about Sebastian had led to a couple of inappropriate instances in the dark privacy of his bedroom but that wasn't hurting anyone. He was feeling good as he stepped out into the crisp Fall air.

He tilted his head back for the breeze to ruffle his hair. It was almost a shame to be going home and spend such a lovely day indoors. He was thinking of asking father if they could take the boat out that weekend when something caught his attention from the corner of his eye, and caused him to take a few steps backward. The looming figure was still there. It was not, as he hoped, a figment of his imagination.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he hissed.

Sebastian reached into his jacket. "I came to see you."

He was leaning against one of the pillars that supported the breezeway leading from the school but he was still in much too plain of sight. Ciel whacked him in the chest with a textbook. "Are you out of your mind? My father is coming to pick me up, don't you think this looks a little suspicious?"

"I thought I was blending in," Sebastian said, raising his arms to fend off the hardcover assault on his body.

"You're a million feet tall and perpetually dressed for a funeral, no you don't blend in!"

Sebastian lowered his arms when he saw Ciel grow tired of beating him. When he did, Ciel saw what he had taken out of his jacket. "What's that for?"

"I didn't come all the way here just so you could smell it. Here, it's for you," Sebastian said, holding out the single white rose.

Ciel looked around before he took it. A couple of people glanced at him as they walked by but no one that mattered. He rolled the thorn-less stem between his fingers, watching the white petals spin. It was real but it was the most pristine rose he'd ever seen. He looked back up at Sebastian, who smiled back. Damn it. Just like that, Ciel's resolve blew away like a pile of leaves, carried off by one cute smile.

"It's lovely."

"You're lovely."

Sebastian had started to lean down but Ciel put a finger to his chest and pushed him back against his pillar. "No kissing me in public, Romeo."

"But you want me to."

Ciel averted his eyes. "Maybe."

"Oh, undoubtedly."

Ciel laughed and shook his head. "You're insufferable, you do know that, right?"

"You seem to suffer me just fine."

He surrendered the verbal battle with another shake of his head. According to his watch, he had fifteen minutes before Vincent would arrive. He looked at the double doors of the school and entertained a brief fantasy of what Sebastian could do to him on one of the desks that would be empty by now. The daydream would be all too easy to make a reality, one that would get him into every brand of trouble, so he didn't think about it for long. Sebastian had radar for these kinds of thoughts and he was sure that some teacher and student roleplay was right up his alley.

"I should be going, you'll never get out of here if Alois shows up."

Sebastian kissed him before he could protest. "I will be seeing you very soon."

Ciel watched him walk across the grounds. He didn't know what that meant but it was exciting. As much as he tried to deny it to himself, he got a thrill out of seeing Sebastian in secret. He felt more wrong than ever now that he knew there was something going on that concerned his father that Sebastian seemed to be at the center of, but he couldn't bring himself to end things between them when they were just getting good.

The Maserati was pulling up when he joined Alois at the sidewalk. He called shotgun before his friend could open his mouth, and smirked at Alois' pouting as he slid into the passenger's seat. His father reached over and mussed his hair. "No snacks when you get home if you want any of the cake we're having after dinner."

"Deal."

When he got upstairs he took the rose out of his jacket and laid it on his nightstand. There were enough different types of flowers growing around campus that he could tell his parents he'd picked it for himself if they asked about it. He took his phone out of his pocket. Sebastian had come to the school to see him, which was risky but Ciel also kind of appreciated it. He opened his last conversation with S and tapped the icon to compose a message.

 **Hi.**

A couple minutes later, his phone pinged with a message.

 **S: Hello, there.**

Ciel started a response and erased it several times. The third time he did this, a new message popped up on the screen.

 **S: Are you writing me an essay, love?**

Oh great, Sebastian could see that he was typing. He opted for the truth and hoped it didn't sound as bad as it did in his head.

 **It was good to see you.**

 **S: Likewise. I never get tired of that uniform.**

Ciel sighed. He knew he'd hit the nail on the head with the student and teacher kink. He laid his phone on the bed. Now that Sebastian had mentioned it, he remembered he was still in his school uniform. He changed and sat on the bed. His phone laid where he left it, with the open conversation staring back at him. He wasn't sure what to say. I can't think about you without becoming aroused? I miss you? Nothing he could think of was something Sebastian needed to know.

He finally typed, **What are you doing tonight?**

His phone almost immediately pinged. **S: Are you an option?**

 **Negative.**

 **S: Very well. Come downstairs and find out, then.**

Ciel dropped his phone and did just that. Sure enough, Mey-Rin was letting him inside and taking his coat. They looked at each other and Sebastian kept his face composed except his eyes, which looked to be undressing Ciel piece by piece. Ciel jumped when he heard his father's voice as if he was actually standing there naked. He clapped Sebastian on the back and guided him over to the living area, gesturing for Ciel to come join them. Ciel looked between them in confusion as Vincent dropped himself into an armchair.

Sebastian draped himself over the couch, smirking at Ciel's hesitation. "I'd be happy for you to sit here." He inclined his head toward the couch but he trailed his fingers from his belt buckle down the seam of his jeans. Ciel sat as far on the other end as possible.

"Father, you should have told me we were expecting guests, I wouldn't be dressed this casually."

Vincent waved him off. "This isn't business, just a gathering of friends. Sebastian doesn't have any family he actually likes here so I told him we would celebrate his birthday with him."

"His birthday?"

Ciel turned an accusing look on Sebastian, who blinked back as if he had no idea why Ciel would have wanted to know this. He glared the taller man down but Sebastian just smiled and said, "Yes, I am indeed another year older today."

"Happy birthday," Ciel said, surprised when acid didn't drip from his mouth and burn a hole in the sofa.

Sebastian leveled him with a smirk than said far more than his words. "Why thank you."

There was a knock at the door that Sebastian went to answer, but Mey-Rin tripped over herself to beat him to it. He resumed his position on the couch with a look of amusement. Ciel looked over and his gaze immediately hardened as it fell on Grelle. Sebastian seemed incapable of doing anything without his scantily dressed hip extension. He must have noticed Ciel's expression, for his own morphed from confusion to delight in all of five seconds. Ciel wanted to tell Sebastian that he wasn't jealous because he knew the bastard was thinking it, but that would leave him with a lot of explaining to do to everyone else in the room.

"Vincey!" Grelle shrieked, running over and hugging him when he stood up.

"Vincey?" Ciel said, raising an eyebrow at Sebastian.

Rachel swooped in like a bird of prey. She wore a bright smile, but her hands were talons as she peeled Grelle off her husband. "Grelle, aren't you looking...feminine."

Oblivious to the warning look in Rachel's eyes, Grelle took her removal from Vincent as Rachel wanting a hug, too. She threw her arms around Ciel's mother with a happy squeal. "It's been ages! I'm sorry I haven't come to visit since you all moved in, I've been terribly busy. Do excuse me, I've got to powder my nose."

Rachel watched her go with the same look as her son. When Grelle was out of earshot, she said, "Oh yes, busy. I'm sure all those estrogen injections are time consuming."

"Rachel," Vincent chided.

The comment confused Ciel but Grelle came back before he could ask his mother to elaborate. They sat next to each other on the loveseat, and the tension between them rivaled that of him and Sebastian. Grelle carried on about a boutique down the street from Underworld while his mother seemed to be counting how many utensils in the room could be used to gauge Grelle's eyes out. Ciel tried to maintain polite conversation and not to stare at the way Sebastian had stretched himself out on the couch.

"So, how did you and Sebastian get to be such good friends?" he asked.

Vincent handed his tumbler of scotch to Mey-Rin for it to be refilled. "We went to Weston together."

"You...you did what?" Numbers began appearing before Ciel's eyes, hovering around Sebastian's face, and none of them were good.

"We met when he started at Weston, he was quite a ways behind me, but we hit it off. Even though he was a wolf," he added.

Sebastian didn't meet Ciel's penetrating stare, one that had to be full of disbelief and shock. "Don't start, Vincent, we all know who would win in a fight between a wolf and a fox."

Baldroy announced dinner was ready not too long after that. Ciel sat between his mother and Alois, who had only come down when he heard there was food to be eaten. His friend seemed less than happy about their guests. Usually, he would be frustrated by Alois' unfounded dislike for Sebastian, but he was finding himself much in the same boat. He had Sebastian pegged for his early twenties but that was impossible if he had gone to school with his father. The fact they had been in school together made it hard to eat for his churning stomach.

"Tell me, young Mr. Phantomhive, what do you enjoy in your free time?" Sebastian asked, throwing a loaded look over the rim of his glass as he tipped it up.

Kissing you. Punching you in the face. Reading. Beating you to death with a book. "Oh, same as any other teenager, I would expect."

Sebastian let Mey-Rin refill his crystal tumbler, eyes never leaving Ciel. "Is that so?"

"Yes," Ciel said, giving him a warning look.

"He's lying."

Ciel's heart stopped, but Sebastian looked over at Vincent with amusement. "Do tell."

"He's the most mature teenager you'll ever met, at this rate I'll be able to retire early and hand the reigns to him in no time," Vincent said.

Ciel allowed himself to breathe again. "You flatter me, father."

"Tsk. Vincey doesn't hand out compliments that aren't deserved, I'm sure he means every word," Grelle said.

"There's no need to talk of retiring just yet, you're still young," Ciel said, eager to change the subject from himself.

"Maybe but compared to you, Sebastian and me are a couple of old men."

Oh, God, he should have left it alone. He grimaced as a fresh wave of nausea rolled through his stomach. By the time their plates were being cleared he had lost count of how many times Sebastian, Grelle, and Vincent's glasses had been refilled. Their laughter filled the dining room but not the growing hollow feeling in Ciel's chest. Their happiness seemed to exist to taunt him and remind him of the severe misjudgment he had made. It only made it worse the way his heart skipped at the slight color in Sebastian's cheeks from the drink, the melodious sound of his laughter.

Grelle's voice, louder than that of anyone else at the table, drew him back to the conversation. "Bassy, what was that song everyone was so crazy about when we first transferred? You know, the former prefects that formed a band!"

"It went 'You're a shining star, small though your light may be!'" Vincent sang, raising his glass.

Grelle made an excited gesture as she, too, remembered and joined in, "'You're a shining star! Take my hand! Do you see?'"

Sebastian downed his scotch and finished, "'We make a constellation – you and me!"

"Oh, how I miss when we would slay drunk karaoke in school," Grell lamented.

Ciel was holding on to his anger with an iron grip, but he couldn't help a chuckle at the three of them belting out some song from an old boy band. Alois was facedown on the table, shaking with laughter. Ciel had to remember that his friend had never seen Vincent relax or have fun. He would joke around, but he was always reserved and composed. Ciel himself had only seen this side of his father a few times but he had definitely never seen him this drunk.

"We should take this somewhere more fun," Grelle suggested as the cake was served.

Sebastian caught Mey-Rin's wrist before she could dish his slice of cake. "Excuse me."

"Yes, sir?" she asked, the cutting tools rattling together in her hand as she trembled.

Sebastian looked over at Vincent. "Forgive me if I intrude upon the rules of your house, but I can not partake in this if your servants are not welcome to sit at the same table and share it with us. They are part of this home, too, are they not?"

Ciel choked on the drink of water he had taken. Such a thing had never been suggested to a Phantomhive. He studied his father, whose face was suspiciously blank. Mey-Rin had turned bright red and was stammering an apology lest the master blame her for Sebastian's request. There was a long silence in place of the singing and laughter that had filled the room moments earlier.

Vincent cleared his throat and looked away from Sebastian. "Very well, I'll permit it for this evening."

"Thank you, sirs, thank you very much. I'll get Bard and Finny," Mey-Rin said, bowing until her head almost hit the table.

Sebastian smiled and his jovial nature returned in an instant. He moved a couple of plates to make room, seemingly unaware of Ciel and Rachel's gaping. Vincent relaxed again after a couple more sips of scotch. Ciel slid his chair to the side a bit to allow Finnian to sit next to him, noticing that the gardener looked as surprised as the rest of them.

"Young master," Finnian greeted.

Ciel raised his glass. "Please, if we'll be sharing a meal tonight, then it's Ciel."

Vincent looked over at Grelle. "Now what was this about going somewhere more fun?"

There seemed to be a collective exhalation from everyone at the table. Ciel had halfway expected his father to blow a fuse as soon as his servants sat down at his table while there was work that could be done, but Vincent was saving face for company's sake. Ciel regarded Sebastian when the bar tender wasn't looking at him. He didn't understand the gesture of wanting the staff to join them, Sebastian worked for a living but he was clearly well off, he couldn't have that much empathy for mere servants. He was just one mystery after another.

He wished he had paid more attention to Grelle's chattering instead of his own thoughts when he found himself being told to get his shoes. "If you want to join us, that is. I feel you're old enough to come have some adult fun," Vincent said.

"Sure," Ciel said, going to collect his boots from his bedroom.

He closed the door and sighed. He would rather stay home and finish off what remained of Sebastian's birthday cake, but when his father put it like that, he didn't want to refuse. Vincent was just now treating him like a man. He sat down on the end of the bed and began lacing one of his boots. There were footsteps in the hallway that passed his door, and a minute later returned. He didn't realize they had stopped in front of his door until it came open.

"Why is knocking so hard for...oh. It's you."

Sebastian closed the door and leaned back against it. "You sound disappointed."

Ciel glared up at him. "What do you want?"

"My answer to that never changes, love, I always want you," Sebastian said, coming over to stand in front of him.

"You're drunk."

"I might be slightly inebriated."

Ciel moved on to lacing his other boot. "How did you explain to my father that you were coming up to my room?"

"I said I needed the restroom." At Ciel's grunt, his voice took on an edge that made Ciel shiver. "He's preoccupied talking to Grelle, are you quite sure you don't want to take advantage of this time we have together? I've never even gotten to see your bedroom. It's lovely, to have an accurate image of your bed to imagine when I think about you splayed across it, begging for me."

Ciel stared at the toe of his boot, knowing if he met Sebastian's eyes the older man would see the arousal there, how easily those words had undone him. "Stop."

"Or what?"

When he finally looked up, Sebastian had started unbuttoning his shirt. Ciel's heart beat faster with every inch of bare skin that was revealed. "Sebastian."

"If you're threatening me with saying my name that way, I'm certainly not going to stop," he said, pulling open the last two buttons.

Sebastian braced his hands on the bed on either side of him, forcing Ciel to lean back slightly on his hands to put space between them. Ciel looked up into hazy eyes the color of deep red wine. "Why me? You could have anyone you wanted, why are you so hung up on me?" he asked.

"I find myself addicted to the taste of your innocence," Sebastian said, raising one hand to cup Ciel's cheek. "When we met I expected a chase but you practically fell into my arms, so curious, so naive."

Ciel bristled at being called naive. "I accepted your advances because this place is boring. You hear the way my father talks, I'll be up to my eyes in dealing with the company as soon as I'm old enough. I wanted to enjoy myself a bit before I lose the chance."

"There's still plenty of enjoyment to be had."

Sebastian tilted his face toward Ciel's but Ciel planted his boot on Sebastian's shoulder and pushed him down onto the floor. He hated how tantalizing Sebastian looked on his knees, shirt open across his muscular torso. Instead of removing his foot Sebastian rested his hand on it and smirked up at him.

"If control is what you wanted, all you had to do was ask," Sebastian said, and turned his head to kiss Ciel's boot.

Ciel grimaced. "Freak. I guess you want me to walk on your back in high heels, too?"

"Oh, no. If I wanted that I would ask Grelle."

"Why don't you go do that, then? I'm sure she would be happy to oblige," Ciel spat.

"There it is. That fire, that light that peaks through the cracks in the mask you've carefully crafted over your true self. I love the way it burns."

"Great, so you turn in to a poet when you're drunk."

Sebastian smirked, still on his knees at the foot of Ciel's bed and seeming quite happy to be there. "You didn't have this disdain for me earlier today." Underneath his smirk, he actually looked bothered by this.

"I didn't know you were a predator earlier today."

The words had barely left his mouth before his back hit the mattress and there was just over six feet of angry Sebastian pinning him down. His eyes widened as Sebastian pinned his wrists above him with one hand. The other grasped his chin, forcing him to meet the furious eyes boring down on him. Ciel didn't appreciate until that moment the difference in their size and how easily he could be overpowered. He tried to free his hands but Sebastian's grip was as strong as a vice.

"It's by no fault of mine you assumed my age, which I would have told you if you had asked. You should mind that tongue of yours. There is no daddy to hide behind, not from me." Sebastian kissed him hard, letting the weight of his body rest on Ciel and briefly taking his breath. Ciel gasped, unable to expand his lungs to breathe, drawing air only from the mouth claiming his own with bruising force. He had no doubt this was intentional.

Sebastian raised himself up and let Ciel suck in a deep breath. "If you want a predator, I'll show you one."

Ciel was surprised to find himself shaking. However, when his fear abated, he could see how much offense Sebastian had taken to his words. His anger had been well deserved. Their age difference bothered Ciel but he knew he had thrown around the suggestion of Sebastian being a predator far too lightly. He pulled his hands and, when Sebastian let him go, released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Sebastian still laid across him but the dangerous edge had gone from his eyes.

A knock on the door interrupted the nerve wracking silence between them. Vincent's voice rang out from the other side. "Come on, Ciel! I'm going to find Sebastian and then we're going to Underworld so you can hear my horrific singing skills!"

"Be right there," Ciel called back.

After his father's footsteps faded, Sebastian stood up. He offered his hand to Ciel. "Want to come see me destroy your father at karaoke?"

With his extended hand came a silent apology. Ciel took it and let himself be pulled to his feet. "I suppose."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry it took so long! Writing briefly took a backseat while I was on vacation, but thank you to anyone who came to read the new chapter and thank you for your patience (: I will probably be starting a series of Noctis/Ignis one-shots on the side but this still will be updated regularly. The only problem is that everything in the FFXV fandom is beautifully written and I'm way out of my league, so those one-shots may or may not happen.**

 **Happy New Year, everyone!**

* * *

In just a few shots, Sebastian's anger was long forgotten. He sat his empty glass down with a loud clink. Ciel looked around the table as he nursed his second Long Island iced tea, which was further evidence of just how drunk his father was, to not only allow him to drink but offer for him to. He felt very sober looking at the rest of the group. Vincent had called William to join them, and Sebastian's brother had taken over bartending for the night since Sebastian was off work for his birthday, but at some point his twin had joined them at the table. Alois and Grelle were gushing over some upcoming fashion show as they made steady progress on their girly mixed drinks.

"I'm going to go run the DJ off," Vincent declared.

Grelle stood up. "Let's go!"

The rest of the group followed them downstairs. Alois began whining for Sebastian's twin to dance with him, but he was too busy watching Grelle walk. Ciel walked behind everyone else as they made their way to the front of the dance floor to watch Vincent and Grelle take the stage. They stumbled into each other as they shooed away the DJ. Ciel snickered into his drink; he was never going to let his father live this down. A hand on his shoulder drew his attention from his alcohol to Sebastian, who had come to stand next to him.

"Aren't you joining them?" Ciel asked.

"Maybe later." Sebastian began to step from side to side, hips rolling into smooth movements carried out by his legs. "Aren't you going to dance?"

"Absolutely not."

"I bet another drink would change your mind."

"Don't take those betting skills to Vegas."

Sebastian ignored him and disappeared to the bar anyway. Ciel watched him until he was swallowed by the crowd. He sighed, stirring the ice in the bottom of his glass. He still didn't know what to think of all this. Sebastian being old friends with his father meant they were both betraying Vincent, a thought that made his gut clench with guilt. He looked up from his drink and let out a horrifically effeminate squeak when he found a pair of gold eyes staring at him from no more than a foot away.

"Um, hi?" he said.

Sebastian's brother didn't break eye contact. "Hello. I don't think we have been properly introduced."

"Ciel Phantomhive," he said, extending his hand.

The hand that reached for his was smacked away as Sebastian appeared next to him. He retracted his own hand, but Sebastian's glare seemed to be only for his brother. "Claude, shouldn't you be busy looking up Grelle's skirt?"

"I can't do that from down here, obviously," the man said in earnest.

Ciel turned to Sebastian as his twin, Claude, melted into the crowd. "Well, he's creepy."

"I'm aware."

He took the glass from Sebastian's hand and turned it up. It wasn't Long Island iced tea, but it was delicious. For a few minutes they didn't say anything, just watched Grelle and his father sing to some awful song about liking it and putting a ring on it. He was surprised by how soon he was looking into an empty glass. He found himself pouting up at Sebastian.

Sebastian chuckled. "Gone so soon, is it?"

"I want more. Get me more of this."

"My, aren't you demanding when you're tipsy."

Ciel narrowed his eyes and thrust the glass into Sebastian's hands. "I'm merely telling you to do your job. Fetch me another drink."

"Yes, master."

He smirked and watched Sebastian leave again, a sight he never tired of. He turned back to the stage where Grell and Vincent were singing face to face, both of their mics off the stands. They were both a mess. Her eyeliner was smudged and there was a dark patch on both sides of his father's collar where he poured sweat. Ciel squinted as the harsh strobe lights illuminated the lines of her face. Most of her makeup had worn away throughout the night. Underneath it were the same high cheekbones but also...something else. Something about her just wasn't right. He was still pondering this when Sebastian returned with another drink.

"You might want to sip a bit slower this time, you don't share my tolerance," Sebastian advised.

Ciel took a long drink. "Is that a challenge?"

"No, that was an earnest warning. I don't want to see you fall ill."

"Funny coming from the man who said he would 'show me a predator' a couple hours ago," Ciel yelled back over the music.

Sebastian slid his arm around Ciel's waist, moving their bodies languidly across the floor. He leaned down to Ciel's ear to keep from having to shout. "If you think I was threatening you sexually, you are mistaken."

Ciel let himself be spun and pulled back in. "Excuse me if I got the wrong idea while you held me down on my bed."

"I told you I would never force myself on you in any way. I get my thrill from you giving yourself to be willingly, there is nothing to gain from taking you by force. Earlier, I only meant to warn you that by nature, I am dangerous and even I have my limits."

"Oooh, scary," Ciel said, deadpan. He finished off his drink and dropped his glass on a table off to the side of the dance floor. As much as he hated dancing he was actually content doing so at the moment. Grelle and Vincent were off the stage and the music had slowed down, as did the lights, going from a constant pulse of different colors to a slow morph of paler tones. Ciel let his arms rest around Sebastian's shoulders and watched his skin turn pink, mint green, and the yellow color of first morning light. He peered up at Sebastian as they were bathed in pastel purple. "I'm not afraid of you."

"I know."

Though they stood mostly still, just shifting their feet from side to side, the room was spinning. Ciel rested his head on Sebastian's chest. Somehow he was dizzy even with his eyes closed. A thought occurred to him that was probably too late to do any good. "Sebastian, what if father sees us?"

"That is unlikely."

"Why?"

Sebastian laughed. "When I went to get your last drink, he was passed out on the couch over by the bar."

Ciel frowned. He had wanted to see Sebastian destroy his father at karaoke as promised, if for no other reason than to give him something to hold over both their heads. "Speaking of drinks, I want another one."

"I don't think you need another one."

Ciel glared up at Sebastian, not that he was sure how effective it was with what he could only assume were bleary, hazed eyes. "Drink."

He wasn't sure how he ended up on a couch upstairs, but that's where he was when Sebastian returned with the drink he requested. The upper level was closed to patrons after a certain hour so they were wonderfully alone. He sat up straight and made grabby hands for the glass being held hostage by Sebastian. The older man looked hesitant to give it to him, but Ciel clamored onto his lap and left him no choice. He felt a warm tingling as the liquid hit the back of his throat.

"Ciel," Sebastian murmured.

"Hm?"

Sebastian cast a pointed look up and down Ciel's body, which was still sitting sideways in his lap. "I would hate to take advantage of you in this state, but I'm only human."

"Oh, yeah?" Ciel leaned back and put his drink on the table. He turned back to put his hands on either side of Sebastian's face, thumbs tracing bone structure that could have been carved by one of history's great artists, running across velvet soft lips. He couldn't resist kissing them. It was clumsy but Sebastian didn't seem to mind, as his arms went around Ciel's waist and his mouth opened willingly to the exploration of his tongue. Ciel gasped as gloved hands slipped under his shirt to clutch at his back.

"Maybe I want to be taken advantage of," he breathed against Sebastian's mouth.

He sighed happily when he was pushed back onto the couch and Sebastian knelt over him. Sebastian sat back, making to tease him, but Ciel jerked him down by his shirt into another kiss. Sebastian's chest vibrated against him in a low growl. He swallowed it up greedily, tangling his tongue with Sebastian's. A bass drop from the speakers reminded him they were still in public. There were people just over the railing from them, barely out of sight, and the thought only made him want Sebastian more. He wrapped his legs around the tall man to pull him closer.

He felt the solid weight of Sebastian's arousal when their bodies collided. It brushed his own and he couldn't help but rub against it, seeking friction. As soon as he did there was a hand on each of his shoulders, pushing him back down. He blinked in confusion as Sebastian sat up and away from hm.

"What's your deal?" Ciel demanded. "I know you want this."

Sebastian ran a hand through his hair, only for it to fall stubbornly back into his eyes. "I want you to give yourself to me with a clear head, with no hesitations, and no regrets. I don't like to win by cheating."

"I'm not a game!" Ciel said, pulling himself into a sitting position. They were now nose to nose, barely far enough away for him to be able to look into Sebastian's eyes.

"Aren't you?"

Ciel knocked his drink back and didn't sit it down until it was empty. Though the words were like ice water being thrown on him, he grabbed Sebastian with renewed fire. He kissed him that much harder knowing it wasn't what Sebastian wanted. It thrilled him as Sebastian's lips moved against his, knowing the power he had over this man who seemed to be in control at all times. He should have hit Sebastian over the head with his glass but this was far more satisfying. Physical pain, he knew Sebastian could handle, but using his own desires against him was just too good. Sebastian kissed him back like an addict getting a fix, who knew their drug of choice was destroying them but couldn't possibly refuse.

His dizziness from earlier returned. As he moved his lips down Sebastian's neck, he felt like the couch was sinking out from underneath him. He nipped at Sebastian's throbbing pulse. Sebastian ran his hand through his hair, sending chills down his spine along with the growing fear that perhaps he was the addict of the two of them. Sebastian was as toxic and delicious as a drink from the poisoned chalice.

"I guess I should wish you a happy birthday," Ciel said, cupping the bulge in Sebastian's trousers.

Sebastian tilted his head back against the couch. "Ciel."

That was the last thing Ciel could recall distinctly hearing. He was aware of zippers being pulled down and clothing being shed, but the remainder of the night passed in a blur. All he knew was the way the drink warmed his body from the inside and the heat of Sebastian against his skin. After awhile the music pulsing beneath them stopped and he knew the club had closed down. In its place, he could hear only the music of gasps and panting as they moved together.

Sebastian lowered his head and jolted Ciel with the sensation of cold metal on his desperate, hot skin. Then Ciel was pulled under by every sort of oblivion.

* * *

The pounding bass had returned by the time he opened his eyes. He groaned and rolled over. Instead of rolling off the side of the couch, he found a far more forgiving mattress. He cracked one eye open against the harsh light to locate the source of the music. It didn't turn out to be music at all. The reverberating sound that awoke him came from his own head, sending a fresh bout of pain with every pulse. He looked around. He seemed to be on a futon in the small office he found the first time he explored the back of the club.

"Good morning," Sebastian greeted, leaning in the doorway.

Ciel jumped and sat up. He eyed Sebastian warily as the man came and put two pills in one hand and a glass of water in the other. "What is this?"

"It's just Advil."

"Oh...right."

He swallowed the tablets with a drink of water and handed the glass back to Sebastian. As he did, the blanket fell away from his chest and he realized it was bare. Along with everything else. He snatched the blanket up around his shoulders, panic rising and sending his heart into a cacophony of mismatched beats. Sebastian leaned on the edge of the desk across from him, and looking at him, Ciel recalled the previous night. Jesus, he had been wasted.

"We..." He looked between Sebastian and his own naked body, covered though it was by a blanket.

Sebastian tilted his head. "What?"

"We copulated, didn't we?"

For a long, horrible moment Sebastian stared at him. Ciel met his stony gaze with mounting acceptance that he was no longer a virgin. Then Sebastian started laughing. It wasn't the sarcastic little sounds he usually made, but genuine, all out laughter. Ciel fought the urge to smile in response; it was contagious, that laughter.

"No, we didn't copulate," Sebastian said with a chuckle.

"Then why am I naked?" Ciel said, lowering his voice with the last word, unsure if anyone was in the hallway.

"You were sweating through your clothes, I undressed you and left you here to sleep it off."

"Where's everyone else?"

Sebastian stretched, briefly pulling his shirt up over his navel and revealing the V of his hips that disappeared into his jeans. "Home, your father came to a couple hours after you passed out. I told him to leave you be unless he wanted his upholstery thrown up on. He was quite agreeable after that."

Ciel nodded. He had been expected much worse news about the night he barely remembered. In that moment he decided he hated alcohol, both for the way it was making his stomach roll at the moment and also how it took his control from him. It seemed to possess his body and act of its own accord. "I'm never drinking again."

"That's what they all say. Your clothes are folded on the desk, get dressed and meet me out at the bar."

"Sebastian?" Ciel said as the man left the room.

Sebastian paused in the doorway and gave him an inquisitive look over his shoulder.

"Thanks for taking care of me last night. I'm sorry if I was any trouble."

"Not at all, love. Put some clothes on."

Ciel waited for him to go before pushing the blanket aside. He didn't know what to think of Sebastian anymore. Not only was there the possibility that Sebastian was twice his age, but he seemed to have a long list of secrets that involved his family. On top of that Sebastian had mastered pissing Ciel off in one breath and making his stomach do backflips in the next. It was sickening. Or it would be if Ciel wasn't already nauseated from his hangover. He had to dress carefully, as every time he moved it made him want to retch.

He emerged from the room and looked both ways. It was tempting to investigate the store room, where he had found the door with no apparent way to open, but that would be pushing his luck. Sebastian was a wild card and Ciel would bet he would go far to protect his secrets. He decided to snoop around at a better time, and cut through the kitchen to the door leading out to the club. Sebastian looked up from polishing bottles with a smile. Damn it. Ciel would be okay, if Sebastian would just quit with the smiling.

"Were you here all night?" he asked, leaning against the bar next to the taller man.

"Indeed. The couches out here aren't as uncomfortable as they look."

"Why didn't you go home? I hope you didn't stay on my account."

Sebastian threw the cloth over his shoulder. "That was part of it, but Grelle left with William so I don't want to be anywhere near our place for awhile."

Ciel huffed. He'd had an ongoing bet with Alois for years that Mr. Spears was gay. "That loud, is she?"

"Not exactly. Let's just say she has a way of...surprising people."

Ciel wanted to know what he meant but there was a note of finality to his tone that told him to leave it. He changed to another subject, but one that interested him just as much. "I know yesterday was your birthday but I never heard how old you were turning."

He saw Sebastian's lips move but he didn't hear what he said. Someone was beating on the door to the club, hard enough to trigger the alarm system. Ciel's head felt like it would split in half as the alarm wailed through the nightclub. He put his hands to his ears and closed his eyes, trying his hardest not to throw up. There was a much louder noise and he was unprepared for what he saw when he opened his eyes.

The lock on the door looked to have been shot, undoubtedly by the man now walking onto the empty dancefloor. His eyes were a peculiar shade of grey that would have commanded more attention if not for the revolver in his hand. At his side was a taller man with similar features and a firearm of his own. Ciel felt his legs begin to shake, and spun toward Sebastian.

In a blur of motion and a resonant click, Sebastian had pulled a semiautomatic pistol from under the bar and brought it to bear. Ciel staggered back, hearing glass rattle as he hit the shelves on the wall. He turned wide eyes on Sebastian but there was a stranger before him. In the place of the flirtatious bartender was a man prepared to kill, with not one tremor to be seen going through his body. Ciel realized the click he'd heard was the safety being turned off.

He didn't know what to do. Taking cover behind the bar meant he lost sight of the two men but standing left him vulnerable. He curled his fingers around the shelf behind him to stay upright as his knees knocked together. His hears rung in tandem with the shrieking alarm, making it hard to keep his eyes open for the pain lancing his skull.

"Charles," Sebastian said, eyes locked on the shorter of the two.

Across the bar, the white haired young man raised his revolver. "Sebastian."


	8. Chapter 8

"Our fair lady is getting impatient," said the man with the revolver. Grey, if Ciel had heard right.

Sebastian took a single step back. "We have our part ready and waiting, her buyer is the one with cold feet."

The smaller man advanced, drawing closer to the bar. "I know how convincing you can be, Sebastian, and so does she. Get them on board."

Ciel closed his fingers around the neck of a crystal decanter. It wasn't much by way of protection against a gun, but it had to be better than nothing. He watched Sebastian take another step back. His retreat suggested fear, but his confident steps and unwavering grip on the gun argued otherwise. He looked to be in total control even as Grey backed up into a corner. Ciel felt a film of sweat gather between his fingers and the smooth surface of the crystal. His eyes darted between the two men, barely able to hear their conversation over the sound of blood pounding in his ears.

"I feel we could have handled this in a far more civil fashion," Sebastian said. He hit something under the bar and the alarm was deactivated.

Grey huffed. "You know when she involves us, she is past the point of civility."

Sebastian smirked. A look of confusion peeked through Grey's composed mask for a moment as he stopped on the other side of the bar but he covered it as quickly as it appeared. Sebastian closed the space he had been putting between them, saying, "You are just too easy, Charles." With practiced, deadly efficiency, Sebastian disarmed him and twisted him down against the bar with his arm pinned diagonally across his back.

"Sebastian, the other one!" Ciel said, seeing Grey's companion take aim.

"Oh, I'm not worried about him," Sebastian said as he leaned down to look into Grey's eyes and put the barrel of his pistol between them.

Ciel's bewilderment was answered by a dark form emerging from the other side of the dance floor. He was glad he wasn't strong enough to do any damage to what had to be a very expensive decanter he was grasping, because he was holding it hard enough for his knuckles to ache. Claude pulled the man's gun arm over his shoulder, disarmed him, and flipped him all in one clean move. He kicked the revolver away and knelt on the man's chest with a wicked smile.

"Now," Sebastian said, pushing Grey's hair out of his eyes with his pistol, "Why don't you run home and tell Victoria that the matter is already being handled."

Grey raised his head just far enough to spit in Sebastian's face. For a minute he didn't seem like he cared. He only blinked and wiped it away with his cleaning towel, eerily calm. Ciel's hand was cramped but he wasn't ready to to let go of his makeshift weapon yet. Sebastian smiled, a terrifying sight under the circumstances. He flipped the gun and whipped Grey across the face, knocking him out cold. He let go of the arm he had been pinning to Grey's back and watched him slump, unconscious, to the floor.

"Phipps, get him out of here before I do worse," Sebastian advised.

Claude stood up and bore a silent dare into Phipps' eyes, but the man didn't make a move except to pull Grey's arm over his shoulders and heft him on to his feet. "Always a pleasure."

Sebastian bowed from the waist and gave him a cheerful wave, though the polite gesture was marred by the weapon in his hand. "Good day to you."

The door to the club swung shut and Ciel folded on to the floor as his last reserve of energy was tapped. He couldn't hold himself up any longer without the aid of adrenaline. Sebastian was there in an instant, hands on his shoulders and asking if he was alright. His gun must have been holstered again because Ciel didn't feel its cold weight pressing into him anywhere. He stared up at Sebastian, finding a flood of worry in his eyes. Ciel could hardly believe this Sebastian was the same one he had seen take down Grey. He had moved more like a machine than a man. Now he loomed over Ciel, asking the dumbest question Ciel had ever heard in his life.

So, Ciel hauled off and slapped him across the face.

"Of course I'm not alright! What the hell was that?" he demanded.

Sebastian ran a hand over the red, finger shaped marks on his cheek with a look that suggested he was more impressed than angry. "My day job, you could say."

"You need to give me answers and you need to give them to me now, what do you think would become of you if my father knew the danger you just put me in?"

"Oh! Excellent point, I should call to let him know the Charleses are in town."

Ciel watched him, agape, as he took out his phone and called his father. He no longer knew if his sickness was the result of a hangover, fear, anger, or all of them combined. The conversation was short and to the point. Sebastian relayed what had been said, informed his father that his son was fine, and disconnected shortly after. He pulled Ciel to his feet before Ciel had the chance to refuse his help.

"Tell me what's going on at this club and what it has to do with my father," Ciel said, releasing Sebastian's hands.

"Not until he gets here. I may be the one on the business end of a gun if I explain this to you without his consent."

Ciel folded his arms. "So what, he owns you or something?"

"No one owns me, nor will they ever."

He heard the edge in Sebastian's voice and let it go. He was curious but he wasn't stupid, he hadn't forgot the gun that was undoubtedly still within Sebastian's reach. The events that transpired didn't make him feel like he himself had anything to fear from Sebastian, but he didn't know how fast the bartender and apparent gunslinger would turn on a dime. He held his tongue for the time being.

The door opened and he jumped but the flash of crimson hair set him slightly at ease. As close as they were, he had no reason to trust Grelle more than Sebastian. She sat on a barstool and looked between the twins. "Want to tell me why I got the notification on my phone for the alarm being triggered?"

"The Charleses," the twins chorused.

She propped her chin on her hand, looking thoroughly disinterested. "Oh."

Ciel gave her an appraising stare. She wore no makeup and her hair lay long and straight down her back. In place of her usual skirt or dress was a white button down and black skinny jeans. Something wasn't right, and not just the fact Ciel was pretty sure that shirt belonged to William. He put his pondering of her to the side. There were a lot more important things to be thinking about, and dangerous ones at that.

The next time the door opened his father walked inside with an expression Ciel had never seen before. He took calm, measured steps toward the bar. Then he reached across, grabbed Sebastian by the shirt, and jerked him over it. Ciel scrambled backward as his father pulled Sebastian nose to nose with him.

"You said I could leave him here and he would be fine!" Vincent said, stabbing a finger in Ciel's direction.

Sebastian blinked, seemingly okay with the position he was in. "And he is, isn't he? It's not as if Grey called in advance to let me know he was coming."

Vincent dropped him and paced in a circle. "How did you get rid of him that fast?"

"He wasn't playing his full hand, I'll tell you that much. Taking him down was too easy. That wasn't even a fight by Grey's standards."

"How much did he say?" he asked, throwing a meaningful glance at Ciel.

Ciel cut Sebastian off as he came around the bar to join the conversation. "He said enough to tell me you have some explaining to do."

He was infuriated at the way Sebastian and Vincent shared a look, as though deciding if he absolutely had to know. Vincent's head jerked in the smallest of nods and he saw the defeat in the lowering of Sebastian's shoulders. He looked between them, growing more impatient by the second. Grelle had spun on her stool to watch the proceedings but she looked as bored as ever.

Sebastian smoothed the front of his shirt and looked down at him. "If we're to give you answers, we have to start from the beginning."

* * *

 **Weston College, Some Many Years Ago**

Sebastian dished up breakfast and handed a plate to his mother. He sat across from her at the small breakfast nook, careful not to wrinkle his uniform. It had cost her a lot. She lifted a forkful of omelet and inhaled deeply, a wide smile coming to her face. He hid his own behind a sip of ice water. That smile kept him going, most days. He couldn't help but admire the way her it reached her eyes, which were a stunning combination of her English mother and Japanese father.

He finished breakfast as quickly as possible without being indelicate and put his plate in the sink. "I have to go."

"You're going to be great," she said.

Tears welled in her eyes as she looked him over. His Weston uniform had been tailored to fit, and he carried used books but they were in a brand new bad emblazoned with the school's emblem. He could barely stand her look of joy.

"You went through so much to put me in this school," he said, taking her hands. His uniform seemed to weigh a ton and burned his skin wherever it made contact. They were already poor but she had insisted on sending him to Weston as soon as she had the money. He was surprised she was still standing, as many double shifts as she had worked to put him there.

She gave his hands a squeeze. "It was worth every bit of it."

Those words carried him through his first day, and then his first week. He had noble blood but he couldn't have been more of an outcast at Weston. People eyed his tattered books, his worn shoes. He didn't get a reprieve until the first day of his second week. Walking up the stairs, lost in thought, he didn't see the other student approaching him until a stranger grabbed him by the arms.

"Please, you have to help me," the boy begged, about Sebastian's age from the look of it.

Sebastian took note of his wildly spiked red hair and frantic green eyes. "I beg your pardon?"

"I'm new and I have no idea where I'm going! I saw you and had the highest of hopes that this dark knight would help a lady out."

What a strange individual. "Where are you trying to go?"

It had started to rain and the transfer student squeaked, arms snapping to the top of his head. "Economics."

"First hallway on your right after the entry hall, third door on the left."

"Oh, bless you my handsome prince!"

The student kissed him on the cheek before he could protest and took off up the remainder of the steps. Sebastian raised an eyebrow, and called out, "Do you have a name then, princess?"

Rather than be insulted the redhead spun on his heel and beamed at him. He put a hand to his chest. "Grell Sutcliff, a fellow outcast it would seem. What do you say, let's get along." He blew Sebastian a kiss and ran inside as the drizzle of rain became a downpour.

He wiped the back of his hand across his cheek and ascended the stairs at a more reasonable pace. He had no intentions of getting along with that nutcase.

It was during his first year that he came to be friends with his fellow oddities. First came Grell, then the math wiz from Blue House who got teased for walking into things whenever he lost his glasses. By the time vacation rolled around their little group was taken in by none other that Vincent Phantomhive, the most popular and maybe the richest boy at Weston. He was an upperclassmen with a penchant for "taking in strays" according to the other students. By the time he made it a point to befriend Sebastian and the others, he had already started hanging out with the oldest of the group and the oddest, a boy in his last year known only as Undertaker.

Their bond was cemented over summer vacation. They were even joined for that period of time by Sebastian's twin who preferred to live with their father, and went to a different school across town. One hot night found them sitting around a table at William's house. His parents weren't home, which left them a nice place to relax on one of their final days of break. Sebastian couldn't help but chuckle at the antics of his friends. Grell had given up on his affections for him as soon as he met William, but Will was of a respectable family and couldn't possibly date a man. Claude was strong and silent as ever, leaving Undertaker to fill the space with a never ending supply of unsettling comments. Vincent cast an amused look over the table at Sebastian, probably thinking the same thing he was. They were the responsible ones, the "parents" of the group.

That was when the conversation got serious. Their shared look seemed to be a final indulgence of Vincent's, before he had to break the hard truth to them. He leaned forward with his elbows on the table. "I need to tell you all something." At their expectant silence, he said, "Funtom is about to go bankrupt."

An immediate flurry of chatter followed, which quieted down when he waved his hand in a request for silence. "Training to take over the company is all I've ever known. What's more, I can't watch my parents spiral into debt after everything they've done for me."

Sebastian asked for all of them, "What will you do, then?"

"It took some time, but once word got out that I was looking for a way to make a lot of money fast, someone came out of the woodwork. Someone who represents a woman known by the alias Queen Victoria."

Grell said something about that being a terrible alias, but Claude spoke over her. "She operates in the underworld, or rules it, more to the point."

"Our father wasn't always a member of respectable society," Sebastian explained.

William pushed his glasses up his nose. "You should pursue other means by which to save your company, Vincent, this venture will be dangerous."

"Sounds fun," Undertaker said, tapping his long nails together.

"I don't have hard details yet but I'll be called upon to do things that are illegal, and yes, likely dangerous. In exchange she is going to pull Funtom back out of the water. In the meantime I will make good money carrying out her orders, which I can use to keep Funtom afloat."

"She could hold that over your head indefinitely, once she has that kind of power," Grell said.

Sebastian looked around the table. He could hardly believe this was the same group that had been so lighthearted and carefree. They were talking about doing unspeakable needs for a faceless queen of the underworld. His mother's face came to mind, always gaunt from exhaustion. "Do you have room for one more?"

* * *

 **Present**

"Everyone else followed suit, and we took on the underworld together," Vincent said.

Ciel pressed his hands into his eyes until he saw spots. "This is madness."

Grelle huffed. "You're the one who wanted to know."

"You're a man!" Ciel retorted, remembering one of the many things about the story that shed light on his confusion.

Those electric green eyes narrowed to slits and Sebastian stepped in before things got ugly. Ciel didn't care how ugly they got. His father had been training him to take over a company that was attached to a life of crime. Had he expected Ciel to take on his burden, his servitude to Victoria after he took over the business? For every question that Sebastian's story had answered, two more rose in their places. He didn't know what he had expected to learn but this wasn't it.

"So why are we here, then? The truth," he added, no longer taking such a precious thing for granted. If Victoria ruled London's underworld he couldn't believe they were in New York for as innocent of a reason as expanding the company.

"When the work slowed down, we all began to go our separate ways. However, something came up that she needed quite a few sets of hands for, and ones that she trusted."

Ciel had never been so homesick, especially knowing they left for a reason like this. "We're here for you to do her dirty work."

"With help, of course," Grelle chimed in.

Vincent nodded. "I came to bring the Devil Six back together."


	9. Chapter 9

No sooner than his single moment of clarity had passed, did Ciel get pitched back into the dark.

He didn't speak on the drive to Sebastian's apartment. His father had to see his client and while he would usually handle it at Underworld, he didn't want them to see the destroyed lock and fear for their security, so business was being conducted at the Phantomhive house. Ciel seethed in silence as he watched the filthy, polluted city of New York fly past through the window. He was being kicked out of his own home for a few hours for his father to handle his illegal business dealings, and babysat by Sebastian no less. The name he had carried with pride for the first sixteen years of his life was tainted beyond words.

"We're here," Sebastian told him.

"That's nice."

He followed Sebastian upstairs. His eyes followed the man as he walked, wondering how many weapons were concealed under his clothes. This inevitably raised the question of what else was under his clothes so Ciel shut down that line of thinking. If there was anything that made him angrier than being kicked out for his father to complete his duties as Victoria's bitch, it was that he was still attracted to Sebastian.

"Where's Grelle?" he asked as they walked inside.

Sebastian removed his suit jacket and put it on the coat rack. "She is probably going to watch over the manor. Why, do you prefer her company to mine?" he teased.

"I prefer my own to either of yours. I just didn't want to see him taping his penis down, or whatever he does before work."

"You could stand to be a bit more sensitive. She's had a hard time, being transgender."

Ciel rolled his eyes and dropped himself into the armchair. "Poor thing."

"You better be glad you've got your looks, heaven knows your personality isn't taking you anywhere fast," Sebastian said, leaning on the arm of his chair.

Ciel looked sideways at him, cursing himself for the color that came to his face. He had never thought of himself as anything to look at. Not that he would put too much stock in what Sebastian said anymore. "If you dislike my personality so much then find someone else to fool around with."

"But you're so much fun."

He drew in a sharp breath as black hair came down to tickle his cheeks and his vision was overtaken by Sebastian. The man had swung his body to lean over Ciel, hands gripping the armrests. He observed Ciel's reaction with a wicked smile. Damn it, why had it not occurred to him this might happen if they were alone together? It was wretched that he could be affected by someone like Sebastian, but with the other man's face this close he couldn't deny the way his body responded. He tried to move away but the back of the chair stopped him.

"I'm not a toy," he hissed.

Sebastian put his hand around Ciel's neck. He didn't apply pressure, just let it rest there, feeling both sides of the boy's carotid artery thrum against his hand. He leaned down until his lips brushed Ciel's when he spoke. "Yet you love it when I play with you."

That, as they say, was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back.

It had been a bad enough day already and Sebastian was asking for it. Ciel threw his leg up and knew from the gasp above him that he'd hit his target. Sebastian staggered back, and Ciel wasted no time in tackling him to the ground. He had no mercy for Sebastian's now sore crotch as he knelt over Sebastian and pinned him down by the shoulders. Sebastian's back barely hit the rug before he rolled Ciel and reversed their positions. Ciel wasted only a moment to be glad they didn't have a coffee table, or he would probably be hurting right about now. He snarled as his wrists were pinned above his head. He could feel the rug burning his soft flesh but he was helpless against Sebastian's strength.

Sebastian needed one hand to pin him, and with the other he ran his thumb over Ciel's lower lip. "I could do this all day."

Ciel closed his lips around that thumb and gave it a gentle suck, delighting in the way Sebastian's eyes darkened. Then he bit down until he tasted blood. "So can I."

He wrapped his legs around Sebastian's waist and twisted sideways, knocking the tall man off balance. He toppled over with him, landing in a tangled heap of limbs against the couch. Ciel tried to disentangle himself as Sebastian attempted the same. He moved out of the way before Sebastian could trap him again, and managed to get to his feet an instant before Sebastian. He lowered his knees and braced himself. Sebastian's hair was out of order for once, sticking up in all directions as he got to his feet.

Sebastian drove a shoulder into his midsection and rose back up with Ciel over his shoulder. Ciel's kicks seemed to have no affect. Sebastian calmly carried him away from the living room, and though he couldn't see in front of him, Ciel figured they were heading for a bedroom. He reached out and grabbed on to the molding around the doorway before they could proceed into the hallway. Sebastian cursed as he was pulled backward, and his arm loosened just slightly as he regained his balance. Ciel took his chance. He wrenched forward and was satisfied even when they collided with the unforgiving floor.

A hand closed around his ankle before he could stand. Sebastian pulled him back, and he found himself face down on the floor with a heavy individual laying across his back. He turned his head, cheek pressed into the hardwood. With all of Sebastian's weight on him he didn't stand a chance. His legs were trapped, his arms were pinned to his sides and he couldn't move an inch.

"Did you enjoy taking out your frustrations? I know I did," Sebastian panted against the back of his neck.

"You're vile."

He cried out as Sebastian leaned away just far enough to reach under Ciel's body and cup him through his pants. "Your body says otherwise."

His retort died on his tongue as Sebastian palmed him slowly. The gentle touch in comparison to their position sent sparks through his body. He was appalled at his own behavior as he pressed his hips down, seeking more. He could feel Sebastian's own arousal pressed against his ass. It was thick, and heavy. Then the sensation vanished as Sebastian rolled him onto his back to stare down at him.

"If you want to get up, I won't try to stop you," Sebastian said, unfastening Ciel's trousers and slipping his hand inside.

Ciel keened as a whole new kind of frustration begged for relief. He flushed as Sebastian rubbed him with only the thin barrier of his underwear between them. He grabbed the collar of Sebastian's shirt and ripped down from there, sending buttons in every direction. It wasn't fair for him to be the only one at this disadvantage. He ran his nails down Sebastian's chest, leaving pink tracks in his wake. Sebastian's growl of pleasure went straight to his dick. God he was a terrible person.

He raised his hips in silent acceptance, and Sebastian pulled his pants and underwear down in one movement. The floor was cold against Ciel's lower body but he could barely focus on that as a gloved hand wrapped around him. His hands vainly sought purchase on the smooth floor. He found somewhere else for them instead, reaching between their bodies to unfasten Sebastian's belt. It wasn't the effortless motions that Sebastian undressed him with but he made quick enough work of it. He didn't bother pulling them down, instead just reaching inside to grasp him. It was the first time he had touched Sebastian and he was surprised by how good it felt. He stroked until pre-come leaked out and trickled down to his wrist.

Opening his eyes was his first mistake. Sebastian's lips were parted to give passage to ragged breaths, and his brows were drawn together over his closed eyes. He was sexy as hell. Ciel rolled his hips in a desperate chase for his release. Sebastian's strokes were making him see stars but they stopped just short of pushing him over the edge, something he expected was intentional.

"More," he said.

"How much more?" To his satisfaction, Sebastian sounded just as wrecked as he did.

Ciel ran his slick palm down as much of Sebastian's length as he could. "All of it."

Sebastian pulled Ciel's shirt off and began kissing his way down the boy's chest, leaving a trail of nips and bruises. He gave the head of Ciel's cock a teasing swipe as he moved further down. Ciel tried to pull him back to where he wanted him, but then there were hands on his thighs pushing them up, and Sebastian's tongue was somewhere it shouldn't have been. He pulled his legs together but it did little to drive away the intrusion. Cold metal pressed against his entrance and he bit down on his knuckles to quell his moan.

"No," Sebastian growled, reaching up and pulling his hand away. "Let me hear you."

He had no choice but to comply. It wasn't possible to stay quiet with that adept tongue working on him. Sebastian's fingers joined it soon after, and he didn't think he could have told someone his name if they asked. He grabbed Sebastian's wrist and pulled his two fingers in deeper. He didn't need to be coddled, damn it, he knew what he was asking for. Sebastian answered his demand by taking every bit of Ciel into his mouth and twisting the fingers inside of him. Ciel arched up but somehow didn't choke Sebastian, who instead pushed his hips back down with his free hand and held them there.

"More," he repeated.

Sebastian released Ciel from his mouth, and once more he said, "No."

"Excuse me?"

Ciel grabbed Sebastian's hair hard enough that he hoped it was painful and forced the man to look at him. The bastard looked aroused but calm at the same time. "This is all you get," Sebastian said.

Ciel pulled himself onto his elbows and glared down at him. "You'll give me what I want, it's the least you could do."

"The least I could do for what, exactly? Not taking advantage of you while you were drunk, or not taking your virginity on the floor of my apartment?"

"Don't spin this like you're some kind of saint, after everything I've learned about you!"

Sebastian curled his fingers, hitting something that made Ciel cry out in such pleasure that it almost hurt. He pressed harder and Ciel knew he was pissed. "You never asked my exact age or I would have given it to you, and I wouldn't dare tell you of my other arrangement out of respect for your father."

Ciel had to catch his breath before he could respond. He made a wide gesture between them with his hand. "You really look like you have a world of respect for my father."

Either Sebastian was tired or arguing or he wanted to take out his anger on Ciel, because the words hadn't finished leaving his mouth when Sebastian swallowed him down again and began a punishing rhythm with his fingers. Oh, fuck, he'd done it now. He made a humiliating sound as Sebastian pulled his mouth up to work the head of his cock. His skin had warmed Sebastian's piercing, but he could still feel the hard ball sliding around. The intensity of that coupled with whatever black magic being performed by Sebastian's fingers was too much to bear. He pulled Sebastian's hair again, silently pleading, but the man did not relent his attack on Ciel's senses.

Every time he moved he had to peel himself off the floor. He had long since started to sweat, and he didn't know if there was more heat radiating from the inside of his body or the outside. His legs were shaking. Sebastian gave him no mercy until his body convulsed in orgasm. His shoulder blades dug into the floor as his back bowed, and he had little concern for choking Sebastian as he clutched the man's head against him. Sebastian didn't pull away until his spasms subsided. By the time he did, Ciel felt like he was going to pass out. He tried to get up but he slid right back down to the floor with a groan.

"What about you?" he mumbled, eying Sebastian's arousal.

The floor started moving out from under him as Sebastian said, "Don't worry about me."

He had just realized Sebastian was carrying him when his body was enveloped by something soft. For a moment he imagined Sebastian looking as demonic as he behaved sometimes, with great black wings wrapped around Ciel and glowing eyes. He shifted and found the warm thing on top of him to be a blanket. Sebastian had put him on the couch, and put a throw blanket over his now shivering body. He grimaced when he moved and found himself tacky with cooling sweat.

Sebastian was putting his clothes back in order while he waited for the tea kettle to whistle. He looked over, and Ciel wasn't quick enough in looking away to not get caught. "What is it?" Sebastian asked.

"I don't understand you."

"Few people do, I imagine."

Ciel sat up and pulled the blanket around himself. "You pick the strangest times to act like you care. I don't even know what you want out of this anymore."

Sebastian turned back to the kettle. "Honestly, neither do I."

Ciel couldn't think of anything to say to that. It was the first thing out of Sebastian's mouth that day that sounded believable. He fiddled with a loose string on the blanket, trying to put together the puzzle that was Sebastian. There were times when it did seem like the man cared, but that got lost in the complications of their relationship. Not a full hour ago he had been convinced he hated Sebastian and now he wasn't sure. He definitely wanted to knock Sebastian over the head with a few heavy objects, but he also felt safe when they were together.

Sebastian sat down next to him and handed him a cup of tea. He blew against the steam rising from the dark liquid, glad for something to do besides analyze their situation. "So if you all went to Weston together, how did part of the Devil Six end up in New York?"

"You make enemies, working in the criminal underworld. I was putting the people I cared for in danger by staying there."

Ciel thought back to the story he was told at the club. "Your mother."

Sebastian acknowledged this with a minute inclination of his head. "She wanted me to stay, but as long as I was gone, she was safe. I had long since paid my debt to Victoria in blood. I packed my things and made for the airport without saying goodbye to anyone. As capable as the rest of the Six were, I had likely done the most horrendous things of all of us, and even they might have been in danger if they remained at my side."

"I guess they weren't happy when they finally caught up to you."

"Grelle tracked me down; she has a concerning knack for stalking people, that one. Claude only followed her because he was bored. As for her, we fought from dusk until dawn before I accepted that her mind was made up."

Ciel took a sip of his tea. It wasn't the store bought garbage he expected, but Earl Grey of the highest quality. "And now the queen has come calling again."

"Quite so."

Their mutual silence was broken by a sound of concern from Sebastian. He had pulled the blanket off Ciel's shoulder, and ran his hand down the boy's back. Ciel gave him a questioning look. "I bruised you," Sebastian said.

"I'm sure I have more, what did you expect? It's not like you beat me up, I gave as good as I got."

"I didn't mean to hurt you."

Ciel cut him a sideways glance and shrugged his blanket back up around his shoulders. "Don't worry about me," he echoed.

"But I do."

Sebastian took the cup from his hands, sat it on the end table and turned back to him. He traced Ciel's cheekbone with his thumb. Sebastian's moods changed too fast for Ciel to keep up with, leaving him forever unprepared for the next swing. His breath hitched as Sebastian leaned toward him. He had room to move away but for some reason, he didn't. He closed his eyes and let Sebastian kiss him. It wasn't a hungry kiss. It was too gentle to feel like Sebastian, but when Ciel parted his lips he couldn't have denied that familiar taste.

The blanket fell away from him as Sebastian's arms snaked around his body. It still wasn't sexual, but there was still something about their kiss that made him lightheaded. That might have been the result off too much adrenaline. That's what he told himself, leaning into Sebastian. It wasn't that his feelings were still conflicted...of course not. He knew this dysfunctional relationship would go nowhere. Unfortunately, it seemed to be going nowhere at a hundred miles per hour, and they were both along for the ride.

"Sebastian," he sighed against the bartender's mouth.

Sebastian leaned back, eyes widening as Ciel moved into his lap. He watched Ciel reach to the side and looked down when a cold object was pressed into his hands.

"I want more tea," Ciel said.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I know it has been awhile but I just wasn't in the state of mind to write for awhile. Luckily, watching Dramatical Murder restarted my yaoi heart, so here I am. Sorry for the wait and thank you to anyone who came to read the new chapter (:**

* * *

Ciel stared at the lines of text blurring together. He rubbed his eyes. Without opening them, he knew Alois was glaring at him. Maybe telling his friend what was going on wasn't a good idea but having been in the dark himself, he couldn't do that to Alois. He refocused on the chapter they were supposed to be reading. It had been a week since he came clean with Alois about everything he'd learned. Instead of being grateful to Ciel for being honest with him, all Ciel got for his troubles was "I told you so." He had agreed with Alois he needed to stop seeing Sebastian, soothing Alois at the time, but he knew his friend was still skeptical...rightfully so. He'd said that he needed to stop seeing Sebastian, not that he was going to.

At least it was the last class of the day. Unable to focus on reading the assigned chapter, he raised the textbook as a shield and instead opened one of his composition books. This damn book had taken over his life in the past week. His father was trying to keep him as far from the dark side of their family as possible, but he wouldn't be caught unawares again like he was at Underworld when the Charleses showed up. He chewed on the end of his pencil as he stared at his half completed chart. Victoria was at the top, with her associates branching down from there. Each box had a name and current whereabouts. The only box with a row of question marks was the one for Undertaker. He had been around the house, Ciel was sure of that, but what he did the rest of the time was anyone's guess.

He took some satisfaction in writing "errand boys" under the Charleses. He couldn't stand those white haired assholes. From what Sebastian had said, though, they hadn't used a fraction of their full strength when they came to the club. Maybe they weren't to be underestimated. The taste of wood filled his mouth as he chewed too hard on his No. 2 pencil. He ignored it, too focused on his jumbled notes on the next page. They didn't make any more sense on paper than they did in his head.

The bell ringing made him jump. Wow, he had been paying less attention to class than he thought. He packed up his bag and pushed away from his desk. Alois was next to him as soon as he was on his feet, chattering about something that Ciel wasn't listening to. Ciel nodded as they leaned on their desks, waiting for everyone else to clear the room so they didn't get trampled, making noncommittal sounds when it seemed appropriate.

"That's interesting," he lied as they made their way to the door.

"You haven't heard a word of this, have you?"

"Sure I have."

He yelped as a hand closed on his collar and spun him around. A framed diagram on the wall rattled as he was slammed in to it and ocean blue eyes swam into focus. The teacher had left as eagerly as the students, so they were alone in the room. He was surprised by the force Alois had used; his friend had never seemed particularly strong.

"What the hell is your problem?" he demanded.

"I'm not just talking to hear my own beautiful voice! You're so obsessed with getting in the middle of your family's drama that you haven't once stopped to consider how dangerous this is."

Ciel tried to pry Alois' hand away, but it was clenched on his uniform with an iron grip. "You live for drama, I don't need a lecture from you. Furthermore I know exactly how dangerous it is. That's why I'm not going to stick my head in the sand and pretend everything's fine."

"Let Vincent handle the skeletons in his closet," Alois said, his anger abating as his words took on a pleading edge.

Ciel shoved him away. "Those skeletons have guns!"

"You're only hung up on this because Sebastian is in that closet, too."

"Of course that's what this is about," Ciel said as he straightened his blazer.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're a selfish brat, Alois. This attitude of yours has nothing to do with worrying about my safety. You just don't like me giving my attention to anyone except you."

Alois recoiled, eyes sparkling. "You bastard."

"Yeah, what of it?"

Ciel strode out of the room, tuning out the pathetic sobs that followed him. There was too much foot traffic in the hallway for anyone to have heard their confrontation. He was supposed to have a study group but he walked right past the library. Tanaka thought he would be there for the next hour, then getting a bite to eat with them afterward which gave him a window of opportunity he couldn't pass up. He broke into a jog once he was outside before Alois could catch up.

He lost more time than he would have liked just trying to cover the few blocks between the school and the nightclub. His heart beat a little faster every time someone brushed his shoulder or bumped into him. Everyone looked sinister, like they could draw a weapon at any moment. All this criminal underworld business was making him paranoid. He was out of breath when he finally got to the club. It was still locked up, but his knock was answered by crimson hair that was longer than Grelle's skirt. Whore.

"I don't think Bassy was expecting you," she remarked.

"I didn't tell him I was coming. Is that a problem?"

She narrowed her eyes. "You would be wise to leave that attitude at the door, little boy. Don't let these heels fool you, I could put you down before you got another smart word out of your mouth."

"Noted."

He proceeded into the club. There was a mat spread out on the dance floor, but the two thrashing bodies didn't belong to drunk college girls. They belonged to Sebastian and Claude. Neither of them wore more than a pair of black track pants. No shoes, no shirt, definitely service. Ciel leaned on the bar and watched the pair who seemed oblivious to his presence. The differences between them were far more apparent without similar clothing. Claude's arms and back were tattooed and he was a bit taller than Sebastian, who didn't have any tattoos that Ciel could see, and wore gloves where his twin did not. They both had killer bodies, though. He couldn't say he was watching their sparring match because he cared about the outcome.

The muscles in Claude's back rippled as he flipped his brother, but Sebastian was as lithe as a cat when he sprung to his feet. He swept Claude before the taller man had a chance to register what was happening. Ciel snickered at the faint look of surprise on Claude's face as he collided with the mat. He got up and clapped Sebastian on the back. This seemed to mark the end of their fight, as they approached the bar where Ciel was standing.

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself" he said, raising an eyebrow at Sebastian.

"We can't be getting out of practice now, can we?"

There was only the slightest perspiration visible on Sebastian's skin. Christ, they had barely broken a sweat. Ciel made himself look away from the amount of Sebastian's body on display and meet the man's eyes. "You'll have to teach me some of those moves."

"Oh, will I?"

Ciel bristled at the amusement in his voice as he walked between the shelves of liquor into the back room. He followed, saying, "I won't keep walking around helpless. My father can try to keep me out of this if he wants to but he's a fool if he doesn't think I could be targeted."

Sebastian grabbed a clean towel from the kitchen area and ran it across his chest. He snagged one of Ciel's belt loops and pulled him closer. "You are small and not especially strong, I don't think anything more than basic defensive moves would suit you." Ciel opened his mouth to protest but Sebastian put a finger to his lips. "I will teach you how to dodge and disarm, and train you with a weapon."

He replaced his finger with his lips. Ciel backed him against the counter and returned the kiss fervently. This was the only time he got an inkling of control over Sebastian, and he never wasted an opportunity to take advantage of that. Sebastian leaned back, complacent, hands resting on Ciel's waist. His body was so warm. Ciel felt like he might burn up, but instead of pulling away he pressed harder against the taller man. He got on his tiptoes and looped his arms around Sebastian's neck. They fit together like they were meant to do exactly that.

Grelle had started music in the club. It was some of the usual mindless stuff people liked to dance to, but Ciel's usual irritation was lost in the taste of Sebastian's mouth. He didn't protest when Sebastian picked him up and spun him around to sit on the counter. Sebastian loosened his tie and pulled a few of his buttons open. He shivered as hot lips fastened to his neck. His body was already responding, tensing up with each brush of Sebastian's tongue. Damn it. He never came here with the intention of this happening, but he never did much to prevent it, either. Changing out of his uniform would be a start since this kinky bastard had a thing for it.

Sebastian moved up to kiss the top of his jaw, nose brushing his ear, and Ciel twisted away with a sound he would never admit to making. "Stop."

"Why?" Sebastian asking, repeating the motion.

Ciel could no longer hold the laughter bubbling in his throat. "Tickles!" he said, trying to push Sebastian away.

Sebastian chuckled but he took mercy on him and moved his kisses down to Ciel's exposed chest. Ciel had been holding on to the waistband of Sebastian's pants but his hand had been moving closer to the front. His fingers hesitated at the draw strings, tugging them but not moving from that spot. He knew they couldn't go far with his limited amount of time and the two people who could walk back here at any moment, but his endorphins had sent the logical part of his brain on paid vacation. He let his hand stray a little further down.

He took Sebastian's erection in a firm grasp through his trousers. Sebastian hissed against his neck and grabbed his wrist. He met Ciel's eyes with an expression of barely restrained hunger. "Careful."

"I wasn't going to hurt you," Ciel mumbled, face flaming as he was scolded like a child.

Sebastian ran his thumb across the back of Ciel's hand, a silent reassurance. "I wouldn't have minded all that much if you did. However, if I feel you touch me that way I won't be able to resist bending you over this counter and I don't want to do that."

"You don't?" The words came out unbidden and sounded, even to Ciel's own ears, offended.

Sebastian pulled him off the counter. Once Ciel was on his feet, he took the boy's face in his hands and looked down at him. It made Ciel uneasy, seeing him become serious all of a sudden. "I will defile you in almost every imaginable way but I won't pull you into some dark corner and take your virginity with my hand over your mouth. I've never taken that from someone. I won't take it lightly."

Ciel dug for a flippant answer, a smartass comment but came up empty handed. He couldn't bring himself to brush Sebastian off when he looked so sincere. He just nodded and leaned up to kiss him. Sebastian's thumbs brushed his cheekbones where he held his face. Fabric rubbed against his skin and he pulled away, pulling Sebastian's hands from his face, too. He turned them over and looked at the ever present black gloves.

"Sebastian, why do you always wear these?"

"Just a matter of preference."

He stepped back and Ciel knew better than to push the issue. He had pushed Sebastian before; he knew he wouldn't like the results. Sebastian crossed the room to retrieve his shirt from the small office. The white dress shirt made a strange combination with his casual pants but he made it look good. He nodded for Ciel to follow him down the hallway. They were going in the opposite direction from the main room of the club. Ciel gave him a curious look as they made their way through the store room, but Sebastian was staring straight ahead.

"I seem to recall you being curious about this door."

Ciel raised his eyebrows at their destination. They stood before the door that had first piqued his interest in the true nature of the club, the one with no visible way to enter. Sebastian had seemed protective over whatever secrets this door contained. The locking mechanism must have been well hidden, for there was an answering beep when Sebastian swiped a key card between the door and its frame. He pushed it open and stood aside.

The room looked innocent enough. It was clean, less dusty than the store room but every wall was stacked with rectangular crates. He walked inside and looked around. Just crates on all sides with enough space to leave access to two doors, three if he counted the one he had just entered from. He stepped to the nearest stack and ran his hand over the smooth wood. His blood seemed to run cold. He didn't know why, but it felt like he was touching Pandora's Box.

Grelle and Claude entered behind him. Claude muttered something to his brother that Ciel didn't hear. Grelle put her hand next to Ciel's. In the room's low light, her chartreuse eyes took on an eerie glow. She pushed the lid off the crate. "See? They don't bite."

At first glance it appeared to be full of wood shavings. He wiped his sweating palms on his trousers and reached further in. Under the shavings he encountered something cold and hard. He grasped the object to pull it out. It was heavier than he expected, or maybe not heavy enough. Some part of him already knew what it was.

"Good choice! That's one of my favorites," Grelle said, clapping her hands together.

He didn't expect to be calm, but then, wasn't he expecting something like this? At least it wasn't drugs.

It was, however, a machine gun.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Late update because, yeah, my muse is on life support but I'm still determined not to abandon the story.**

 **Chapter tags: Sebastian! On Ice, cockblocking, Ciel catching the feels**

* * *

Ciel sent: _Are you busy?_

He sat on his bed, waiting. It felt like an hour had passed but only five minutes later his phone pinged.

S: **Never too busy for you.**

He swallowed hard and replied: _Where are you?_

S: **I can meet you at the coffee shop.**

 _I'll come to you,_ he answered.

Sebastian's location surprised him but he headed out nonetheless. It had been several days since he had seen the true stock room of Underworld, and since they had spoken. He knew it was time to pull his head out of the sand. He told his mother he was going out for coffee and to pick up a book for school, and felt a twinge of guilt when she believed him without hesitation. That was good, though. The rest of them needed to be oblivious. He had convinced them he wanted nothing to do with his family's filthy secret affairs.

He had never cared for sports. Professional athletes relied too heavily on their bodies, and the ratio of muscle to brain always seemed pitifully unbalanced. He wasn't a sports fan and hadn't expected Sebastian to be, either.

Yet here he was, meeting him at a skating rink.

He paid admission and entered the large, cold room. It was almost completely empty. He looked around, expecting to find Sebastian watching the skaters practice but the bartender was nowhere in sight. Ciel scowled. How boring was this? There was only one person on the ice, it couldn't be very entertaining to watch. He figured Sebastian spent his free time practicing his devilish smirk in the mirror or smuggling drugs across the border of Mexico. Ciel propped his elbows on the railing that separated the seats from the ice to try and figure out what was so interesting about this.

Then he saw the long, lean body dressed in all black, landing from a jump.

"Sebastian," he said, hand tightening unconsciously on the railing.

Sebastian hadn't noticed him yet. He was gliding on those two thin blades as gracefully as he did his own two feet, somehow in rhythm with no music playing. His hair whipped around his face as he leapt into what Ciel thought was an axel. If he counted Sebastian's turns right, it was a triple axel, at that. His skates connected loudly with the ice as he landed it in perfect form. He did some fancy footwork that might have been called a step sequence (his mother was a sucker for watching this crap on TV) before executing a spin at breakneck speed.

Then he saw Sebastian's face. It wasn't twisted with focus, as though the movements came naturally to him, instead downcast with a melancholy smile. Ciel wondered why that look made his chest ache. He only had a moment to wonder this before Sebastian caught his eye and came to a stop. In an instant, a mask of composure fell into place. His sad smile curved into a much more familiar smirk. He closed the space between them and leaned up for a kiss.

Ciel jolted too minutely for the other man to notice, but regained himself and leaned forward into the kiss. The nature of it felt different than the others they had shared. The way Sebastian turned his face toward him, calm and expectant, as if it was as natural as the way he skated. Ciel had to wipe away a smile of his own when they parted. That kiss had said what neither of them dream of speaking aloud: I missed you.

"Gunslinger, bartender, and...figure skater?"

"Actually, I deal guns but my weapon of choice is a knife. You should see me play a round of darts sometime."

Somehow this didn't surprise him. Knives were not for the faint of heart, and as little as he knew about Sebastian, he could at least say the man wasn't that. "You do this for fun?" he asked, glancing around the rink.

Sebastian followed his eyes, an oddly fond look crossing his face when he looked at the ice. "My mother danced ballet when she was younger. I learned from her."

"Er, Sebastian, if this looks like a ballet studio to you then you might want to take it easy on the drugs."

"You are such a little bitch," Sebastian sighed. "I learned dance to humor her, but I wasn't taken with it until she took me skating one year. It was different, the way I moved on the ice, the way the blades of my skates felt like an extension of my body."

"Fruit."

"Brat. Now why don't you put those on?"

Ciel lifted the skates they had given him when he paid admission. "How about I don't?"

"Trust me, I'm not going to let you fall on your face," Sebastian said, sliding over to the break in the railing and holding out his hand.

"You're even more unhinged than I previously thought if you believe I'm going to put on these disgusting skates that countless other people have worn."

"They do sterilize them, princess."

The word was a challenge if he ever heard one, but he took the bait anyway. He narrowed his eyes as he sat on a bleacher and changed into the skates. They felt heavy on his feet. He took the guards off the blades and grasped the railing as he stood up. It was a good thing, too, because he lost his balance immediately. Hands covered his where they grasped the cold metal rail.

"Come here."

He inched toward the opening with a death grip on Sebastian's hands. His stomach flipped unpleasantly when he hit the ice. His equilibrium was thrown into chaos, his feet going forward while his body suggested he went backward. He was rigid as Sebastian pulled him further away from the rails, away from his beloved shoes that didn't have bloody blades on the bottom. Knives were supposed to have blades, shaving razors were supposed to have blades, but not _shoes_.

"Hey, stop!" he cried as Sebastian spun them, holding his hands to keep him upright and letting the rest of his body just glide in a lazy circle on the ice.

Sebastian pulled their bodies together and settled his arms around Ciel's waist. "Didn't I tell you to trust me?"

Ciel met his gaze. There, in eyes that seemed to have been stained by all the blood he had shed, he saw the true nature of Sebastian's question. This wasn't about ice skating. It felt the same, though. He was out of his comfort zone and faced with either retreating or relying on Sebastian in a way he had never allowed himself to rely on someone before. He played with the silky strands against the back of Sebastian's neck, trying to conceal his nerves.

"I'll try."

* * *

Charles Grey appeared in her crosshairs. Ugh, of course that mamby-pamby was here to oversee the transaction. She resisted the urge to pull the trigger on his smug face. Instead, she remembered her purpose, and shifted to look at the buyer through her scope. A lock of hair fell out of her braid to tickle her cheek. It was annoying but not obstructing her view, so she ignored it for now. She made a final adjustment to the bipod and leveled her breathing.

Her earpiece crackled. "I know you want to be down here on the ground, but be patient. I need my eyes up there," Vincent said.

"Your eyes? I'm nearsighted, you dolt!"

His laughter rumbled through the connection. "Don't be modest, you and Claude are my best shots, and he's waiting in the van with the merchandise."

"Let's just get this over with, I'm not about to be late for my nail appointment."

Her response was met with silence and she saw Vincent approaching the buyer. They shook hands, and there was a lack of conspicuous briefcases present since the payment had been made through a wire transfer. An unsettling calm came over her as her finger rested at the trigger of her Stealth Recon Scout. The sounds of the city dulled until she was attuned only to the alley below, where the exchange was being made. The SRS was loaded with one .338 round for each person on the ground who wasn't Claude or Vincent. One was all she needed.

Grelle Sutcliff might look like the hostess of Underworld, but underneath the short skirts and heels she was the sharpshooter of the Devil Six.

In her partnership with Sebastian, she had earned a reputation as the Reaper in Red. No one in the criminal underworld outside their inner circle knew any of their real names, nor did they need to. Her nickname did the talking for her. She loved to wear red of all kinds, whether she was dressed in it or soaked in it.

Everything seemed to be going well down there. It was a little disappointing. She much preferred unloading an automatic rifle at close range but she would have settled for this if it meant blowing someone's head all over that brick wall. The transaction was drawing to a close, though, so she knew she wouldn't be smelling her favorite fragrance of blood and gunpowder today.

"Pack up, Grelle, we're done here," Vincent said into her ear.

Six flights of stairs later she was out of the building and on her way to where she had parked. As usual, it took some maneuvering to fit the rifle case into the Koenigsegg but she finally made room for both of them in the red hyper car. The engine purring to life made her wonder what Sebastian was up to. It was his day off, after all. He was probably balls deep in Vincent's kid. It was hilarious that Sebastian didn't think she knew they were screwing around. Vincent might be oblivious but she had four good eyes and could see what was going on there just fine.

She checked her mirror before pulling into traffic. It was slightly crooked, and she knew it had been adjusted when she arrived. She looked around the car for anything else out of the ordinary. On the seat, illuminated in the afternoon light, she found the only other sign someone else had been in there.

She picked up a silver strand of hair almost as long as her own. It could only belong to one person.

* * *

Ciel found himself holding Sebastian's arm as they headed back to the car. In the dim lights of the parking garage, he felt safe from those who might see them. He wished they didn't have to hide it. Not because he wanted Sebastian take him to the school dance or list them as having a relationship on social media. No, nothing as shallow as that. He wanted to proclaim, with pride, that this wild man belonged to him. Sebastian, a dangerous criminal, was under his control. It was exhilarating.

"I shouldn't be out too late," he remarked as the McLaren came into view.

Sebastian hummed and spun him by one of his belt loops. "Leaving so soon?"

The backs of his legs hit the hood of the car and his reply was silenced by a kiss. He couldn't resist opening his mouth to the gentle insistence of Sebastian's tongue. Large hands gripped him and lifted him onto the hood. He wrapped his legs around Sebastian's waist and pulled him closer. Cold air washed over his back as his shirt and coat rode up, but Sebastian's heat enveloped him like an open flame. He slid his hands under Sebastian's shirt to explore the planes of his body. His fingers first encountered the edges of his belt, then something too hard to even be his muscular back.

He grabbed the object before Sebastian had time to protest. When he brought his hand back, he held two small, razor sharp throwing knives. He watched the murky light dance on their black surfaces. Sebastian wrapped his hand around Ciel's, holding it but not taking the knives back. He tilted Ciel's chin up to force their gazes together.

"You should be careful with those."

Ciel swallowed. "Or what?"

Sebastian slid one from his hand and raised it to his face. "Or you might get cut." He stroked Ciel's cheek with the flat side, the sharp edge ghosting over his skin.

Ciel's heart stuttered over a missed beat as the blade traced his mouth. "Your empty threats don't amuse me, Sebastian. I know you have no intention of hurting me."

He flicked his tongue out and licked the throwing knife. Sebastian's eyes darkened as they followed the movement. He almost expected to taste residual blood, but it tasted metallic and sterile. He shoved the knife away from his face with a smirk. The threat had no bearing on him. There was a ravenous hunger in Sebastian's eyes, but no violence, no anger. Ciel had learned the man well enough to know he was trying to maintain his facade of dominance in their relationship when truly, it was Ciel who held the blade, who held Sebastian at the mercy of his cutting edge. It would only take a moment of weakness for Sebastian to take control but Ciel didn't intend on relinquishing it so easily.

It was disconcerting, as their lips met again, to know that wasn't the only reason he didn't fear Sebastian. There was an unspoken trust between them that scared him more than a knife ever could.

"Sebastian," he gasped, tugging on the bartender's hair.

Sebastian's eyes danced. "Yes, young master?"

"Let's take this somewhere more private. I'll think of something to tell father."

The playfulness disappeared in a flash as Sebastian realized what he was offering. His grip on Ciel tightened. "I'll ask you to be certain about this."

Ciel answered him with a long, deep kiss, delving into Sebastian's mouth with his tongue as the other man often did to him. He toyed with Sebastian's piercing and greedily swallowed his moans.

"I hate to stand in the way of true love, but I'm going to have to interrupt you."

They broke apart at the sound of a high, unfamiliar voice. Sebastian had a knife between his fingers before Ciel's feet touched the ground. He leaned slightly on the car, knees still wobbling from the endorphins that had just been flooding his brain. A small figure emerged into their line of sight.

"It's quite rude to interrupt someone, I hope you have a good excuse for such poor manners," Sebastian said, stepping in front of Ciel.

"Oh, of course," the stranger said brightly.

He was a strange looking boy. Ciel couldn't think of him as a man, for they didn't look far apart in age. He couldn't have stood quite five and a half feet high, with a wild head of black hair that seemed to have streaks of color when the light hit it, like the wings of a crow. His black jeans and black cotton shirt gave little indication of his identity. Damn, Ciel thought, was there an unspoken rule in the criminal underworld about wearing black?

Ciel couldn't see his face, but he could hear the smile in Sebastian's voice when he said, "Unfortunately for you, I'm not a patient man."

What he did see was two knives streak through the air. They almost blurred, they moved at such a high speed. Ciel took a moment to accept that he was about to be the witness to a murder. It seemed reckless for Sebastian to attack with no more reason than caution, but he knew the man had killer instincts. If he had not only unsheathed his weapons but used them, too, then the stranger wasn't as harmless as he looked.

The sound of blade meeting flesh never came. A hand shot out and caught them before they made contact with the boy. It belonged to a man similar to Sebastian in height and build, wearing a suit that wouldn't be out of place at one of his father's business parties. He looked down at the knives then back at Sebastian with one blue and one green eye.

"And unfortunately for you, I like my partner without any holes him," the tall man said, voice low and American accented.

Ciel moved to stand next to Sebastian, tired of looking around him to see what was happening like a helpless child tucked behind his mother's skirts. He spoke before Sebastian had a chance. "And just who are you two?"

"I'm Terren," chirped the smaller one, mirroring Ciel and coming out from behind his partner. "And this antisocial brute is Tristan."

"I take it you are here for a purpose other than voyeurism," Sebastian said, making Ciel's face heat up when he wondered how long these two had been hanging around.

Terren wrinkled his nose. "As much as I enjoy seeing true love prevail, I'd rather not-"

"We're here to deliver a message to you, Sebastian Michaelis," Tristan said.

Sebastian sighed. "Everyone and their bloody messenger pigeons. Alright then, let's hear it."

"The Undertaker wants to see you."

Ciel started and looked between the three men. His mind produced a featureless image of the man in question; Undertaker, former student of Weston, and the final member of the Devil Six.

Sebastian took this in stride. "Just how are you affiliated with him?"

"You could say that we work together," Tristan said, reaching into his jacket.

Sebastian tensed but Terren raised his hands placatingly, as if to say the other man meant no harm. As the two taller men watched each other, Ciel observed the black haired boy. He may not be as harmless as he looked. His movements were swift and measured, and though they were mostly hidden by his long bangs, Ciel could see a sharpness in his violet eyes.

Tristan flipped open a small black case, which Sebastian answered with a raised eyebrow. "Law enforcement."

"Selective law enforcement," Terren added.

Ciel's stomach twisted. How deep did the city's corruption go? Even the police were crooked. It was good news for his father but just because these two were in cohorts with Undertaker didn't mean the whole force was on their side. "Say we did accept his invitation, where would we go to see him?"

He saw Sebastian's head turn toward him, surprised he had spoken up, but he kept his own attention focused on the two detectives. Terren smiled. "I guess you would have to follow us and find out."

The two men walked away. They listened to the sound of their retreating footsteps until silence had fallen again. Sebastian sheathed his weapons, then looked at Ciel.

"What was this talk of 'us' accepting the invitation, I believe it was extended to me alone."

"I believe I am a Phantomhive, and if my family is rooted in this organization of criminals, then I have every right to meet this man. You can just try and stop me."

Sebastian narrowed his eyes, but the longer Ciel stared him down, the more his expression softened. He sighed and took his keys out of his jacket. "I didn't expect you to embrace this life so eagerly, once you saw the kind of business we do."

Ciel mulled these words over while Sebastian got in the car. The door closing spurred him into motion and he got into the passenger's side before Sebastian got any ideas about leaving him behind. For the first time since he saw inside those wooden shipping crates, he wondered why he had been able to embrace such a crude lifestyle like an old friend. He wasn't a criminal. He was an honor's student, he was the future president of a company. He wasn't the accomplice to illegal arms dealing.

He looked over at Sebastian as he pulled out of the parking space. From the night they met, he had been sucked in to Sebastian's life and the darkness surrounding it. He had become addicted to the thrill, and then the control. And now to whatever else was forming between them. It was like the lurch in his stomach when the McLaren started to pick up speed, that feeling of his equilibrium being thrown out of balance.

Sebastian reached over and took his hand. It was surprisingly natural to slot their fingers together and let their joined hands rest on his thigh.

That feeling, right there.


End file.
